Settle the Score
by Chri
Summary: Inuyasha never talked about his childhood. However, when they come across the village he once called home, his past begins to catch up, driving a wedge between him and his friends.
1. Chapter 01: One Step Closer

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Warning:**  
There will be spoilers if you didn't see the anime past episode 60 or read the manga until chapter 192. The story is taking place after the Ryuukotsusei-incident, so Inuyasha knows about his transformation and the Bakuryuuha, but his Tetsusaiga can't cut barriers yet.

**Disclaimer :**  
Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. Instead he belongs to Rumiko Takahashi who has invented everything and therefore has really earned to own everything :).

**Special thanks to :**  
_Kat Morning_ has agreed to proof-read my chapters. As this is the first chapter I've ever written, there were a whole lot of typos in it. Pointing them out all must have been really enervating :) Thanks a lot!  
The chapter epigraph is from a song of _Linkin Park_.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Everything you say to me  
takes me one step closer to the edge.  
And I'm about to break._

_**One Step Closer**_

Inuyasha stared at Kagome's back while running behind her. She was riding her bike with Shippou sitting in the basket. As it was going slightly downwards, the bike had gained quite some speed and the child obviously enjoying the free ride and the wind in his hair. Inuyasha kept his eyes on the bike to rescue Kagome should some kind of accident happen. Although she seemed very experienced with it and nothing had ever happened while she was riding the bike, he didn't trust the frail looking invention she had carried over from her time, especially when it was going downwards. He had witnessed himself how easily it could get out of control. And, Kagome would surely appreciate his jumping in to rescue her...

"Oi Kagome! Don't you think the brat could go by himself?" Inuyasha called after them. The kid would never grow stronger if Kagome kept spoiling him. When he had been Shippou's age he definitely had been able to do more than just some lousy illusions.

"Aaaah, spring is wonderful! Inuyasha, are you sure you don't want a ride with us?" Shippou asked politely, grinning at the hanyou. Inuyasha had been banned from going anywhere near the bike after he had almost ruined it in his secret tries to learn using it. He had lost control of the bike while driving down a hill and had crashed into a tree. Although he had saved himself by jumping away, the bike's front tire had been broken, forcing Kagome to buy a new one. _'She was quite upset about having to use her money,'_ Shippou remembered.

"Don't listen to him, Shippou, he's just jealous," Kagome told the child, without letting her eyes wander off the path through the forest to prevent a crash like Inuyasha's. If some accident happened, she wouldn't stand the embarrassment. ´_Kagome, can't you even ride your metal cart? Kagome, you're always so clumsy! Kagome, aren't you supposed to sit on the bike?_´ She could almost hear him sneering. ´_No! Definitely not!_´

She had been rescued enough in the seemingly endless quest for the Shikon no Tama, she didn't have to add to that in her spare time. Kagome made a wry grin. ´_Do I already think of anything not involving killing evil, Shikon-enhanced youkai as spare time?_´ she mused. Although Naraku had been in hiding in the last few weeks, there were enough youkai to make up for the fact that their sneaky enemy wasn't showing himself.

"Feh. Why would I want to if I can go faster myself?" Inuyasha was quite pleased with this reply and chose to mouth his concerns. "Kagome, if you keep spoiling the brat he will never grow stronger. When I was his age I _could_ fight for myself." He noticed Kagome giving him a short glance. "What? Even you are more help in our fights than Shippou."

Although Shippou put out his tongue at Inuyasha, the comments hit home. Shippou didn't like to have to depend on others, but he hadn't much choice. ´_I'm only a child!_´ His parents had defended him, and later this task had been taken up by Inuyasha and Kagome. ´_How should I be able to kill giant youkai, who are even powered up by Shikon shards?_´

But Shippou knew Inuyasha wasn't completely wrong. He had to grow stronger so that he someday even could help out Kagome or Inuyasha. ´_I'd like to see Inuyasha's face when he needs my help._´ This thought brought the grin back to Shippou's face; the hanyou wouldn't like to have to depend on him, would he?

Meanwhile, Kagome's thoughts had wandered into a different direction. She was sure that Inuyasha telling her that she was stronger than Shippou was as close to a compliment she would get from him, at least when others were around. But what she found more interesting was that Inuyasha had let a detail of his past slip, which was happening more often lately. She took the opportunity and pressed further into the matter.

"What did you have to fight when you were Shippou's age?" Kagome tried hard to keep the curiosity out of her voice, but wasn't too successful. "Didn't your mother keep you out of harms way?"

Inuyasha was thinking if he should answer the question, and decided to stay to the truth without giving away too much. "I'd like to know how Haha-ue should have fended off some dimwitted youkai? Anyway, they weren't a problem until we had left Sesshoumaru's protection."

"Sesshoumaru was protecting you?" Now Kagome was beyond curious and didn't even try to hide it. "Hasn't he always wanted to kill you?"

"If Sesshoumaru had been trying to kill me as a child, I wouldn't have stood a chance against him. Try to picture Shippou fighting Sesshoumaru, even if the brat is much weaker than I was, it would have ended with the same result," Inuyasha told Kagome. Although, he shouldn't wonder, he never told them anything relevant about his past, so they wouldn't know of Sesshoumaru protecting him and his mother. ´_Sort of, at least._´ He noticed that he was more open about it lately and didn't even think much of it. But it was enough for today, editing his past for her was damn complicated, so he changed to the original topic. "But the point is, Shippou should be able to use at least his claws by now."

"It's not my fault that I never learned how to!" Shippou defended himself. Even if he also was a bit curious about Inuyasha, defending his honor - or what was left of it - was much more important to him. "And you never leave me something to give them a try. It's your fault!"

"I can imagine what you would do if I left you a youkai. And why don't you try your claws on a tree or hunt a rabbit in the fields? Are you afraid of little bunnies?" Inuyasha shattered Shippou's excuse. "I'm sure we'd all appreciate roasted hare. Well, besides Miroku with his stupid Buddhist rule to not eat animals."

Kagome didn't object, her stay in the Sengoku Jidai had taught her that self-hunted - or better said, Inuyasha-hunted - food was much better than stuff from the supermarket. She didn't want to be actually involved in the process of preparing the poor animal, but she told herself that at least it had had a better life than the animals which ended up as a steak in her time.

She heard something and turned around, noticing Sango and Miroku behind her. They were riding on Kirara and catching up, mainly because she had slowed down on her bike to concentrate on the conversation. Kagome stopped, also to grant the cat a pause, and watched the youkai land.

Shippou decided to drop the matter to avoid further embarrassment and addressed the monk, "Miroku, where have you been so long? I hope you didn't try anything funny with Sango."

The monk grinned and held up his hands in an innocent gesture. "Of course not."

Kirara gave an approving growl. They both got down from Kirara and joined their friends. Kirara transformed into her smaller form and hopped onto Miroku's shoulder, who patted her on the head.

Sango gave both of them a suspicious look. "You seem to be very familiar with Kirara lately." The other day she had searched for Kirara and wanted to ask the monk if he had seen her cat, only to find that Miroku seemed to have disappeared too. After a while Kirara had reappeared, Miroku only five minutes later.

"It has to be my charming personality," Miroku countered. "Kirara seems to have good insight into human nature."

Inuyasha snorted. "She is just relaxed because you don't grope cats. Or do you?"

Kagome couldn't stop a giggle.

Sango joined forces with Inuyasha. "Maybe I could incite him to bother Kirara, so my behind would be safe."

"The more the merrier." Miroku's comment silenced Sango, who didn't know how to counter that statement.

"Pervert," Sango muttered under her breath.

Suddenly Inuyasha tensed. "I smell blood," he stated, breaking the relaxed atmosphere. He sniffed to gain more information from the smell. "It's not much, only from one human, but I think I also smell that of a youkai."

Miroku had almost seen it coming. He had noticed the change of Inuyasha's face from bored annoyance to concentration – an event always followed by a statement of such sort. "Do you sense Shikon shards?" he asked Kagome.

Kagome shook her head. "No."

"We should still look into the matter," Miroku said.

"Right," Kagome said and went to climb on Kirara. She took place behind Sango, leaving place for Miroku to sit between them. _'Sango knows better how to deal with the monk behind her.' _she thought. She felt safer from the monk's hands if she at least saw where he put them.

"We're always wasting time like this," Inuyasha grumbled, but dashed off into the woods when they were all ready to go. He heard Kirara behind him, following.

"Inuyasha, how far away are we from the source of the smell?" Miroku shouted down to Inuyasha.

"We should reach them in one or two minutes if Kirara can keep up the speed with all of you sitting on her." Inuyasha sniffed again. Slightly altering his direction, he shouted up to them, "I can make out two human and a youkai. If I'm right, it's the smell of a bear youkai. I don't notice any blood from the other human."

Sango put her hand on Hiraikotsu. "The humans must be pretty skilled. Bear youkai are not to be underestimated," she explained. "They are not only strong, but also quite agile, although they look a bit clumsy. The best course of action is to wear them out, because they don't have much stamina."

This moment the group arrived at a clearing that seemed to have served as the battleground. They could see the youkai leaning against a tree to steady himself, bleeding from some cuts. The youkai looked more like a tall and rather heavy man than a bear. His clothing wasn't extraordinary either, the only things giving him away were his pointed ears and maybe his unusual characteristics. Kagome thought that he looked like a basketball professional who had eaten too many hamburgers, or maybe a really tall wrestler.

His two opponents were staying out of his reach. Each was armed with a katana, their blades were already bloodied. Both men looked a bit out of their breath. The taller one looked unharmed, but the other had three gashes in his upper arm, blood soaking his shirt. If the blow had been a bit deeper, his arm would have been ripped off; even like this, it looked painful enough.

Inuyasha interrupted the silence. "What is going on here? Why the hell are you fighting in the middle of nowhere?" Upon hearing him, both parties moved away from each other and surveyed the people who had interrupted their fight.

"Stay out of this, hanyou!" the bear youkai shouted and launched himself at the wounded human.

"Perfectly fine with me! Like I would be interested in helping you," Inuyasha snorted.

Like Sango had said, the bear youkai moved faster than expected. But the human seemed to have learned from past mistakes and ducked under the blow that would have shattered his skull, and slashed at his enemy's upper arm, inflicting a wound similar to his own. "Payback, bastard!" he laughed, getting out of the youkai's reach again.

"Something isn't right here," Sango explained. "First, the swords must be unusual, or they wouldn't be able to hurt the youkai through his thick hide. Second, bear youkai usually stay out of the way of anybody and only attack if provoked."

"You should get out while you can, or we are going to capture you too," the taller human interrupted her.

The other one turned to speak with his partner. "Brother, the girls look really pretty..."

The bear youkai examined his arm, then used the distraction to escape. "Good luck, hanyou. You'll need it!"

"I'm not a weakling like you!" Inuyasha shouted after the youkai who had vanished into the wood. ´_Coward! Leaving me with the work..._´

"You can surrender peacefully," the taller one offered.

Inuyasha drew out Tetsusaiga, but didn't transform the blade. "... or we can finish things this way", he finished the sentence. "You really think you stand a chance? There are more of us, not that I couldn't take you on alone." His face turned more serious. "Tell me why you'd want to capture us and I might let you live."

"What could two girls and a monk do to stop us? We battle youkai, so humans and hanyous are no problem for us. Especially ones as poorly equipped as you," the tall one commented on Tetsusaiga and chose to test his blade against the rusted one. Inuyasha blocked the attack and pushed him back.

Sango and Miroku attacked the wounded human and tried to disarm him while Kagome aimed an arrow at Inuyasha's enemy. She didn't let the arrow fly, not wanting to hurt him unless she had to.

Inuyasha was holding himself quite well and landed a few punches, not wanting to kill his enemy either. ´_At least until I get an answer to my question,_´ Inuyasha thought grimly, evading a sword stroke.

The wounded one offered more resistance, although it was the force of desperation - Sango and Miroku were overpowering him. He always jumped back when one of them could have landed a hit, but his panting proved it was quickly draining him of his strength.

Noticing his partner's problems, Inuyasha's enemy broke away and joined his brother, leaving Inuyasha behind. The hanyou jumped over them and landed between the two parties, facing his two opponents.

"Don't mistake me for some low level youkai! I won't repeat myself another time: Why did you want to capture us?" The last question had a menacing undertone. Kagome noticed the strangely calm look on Inuyasha's face. ´_He looks distant, as if not paying attention. But his eyes are focused._´

After a look between the two humans the tall one started to talk. "We make money catching youkai. You're better, let's just call it -" The rest was cut off when Inuyasha attacked all of a sudden and slashed at the tall one's carotids. Inuyasha held the other human up by the throat before his mortally wounded partner even started to collapse.

* * *

I know, I know, it's an evil cliffhanger. But the second chapter won't fit otherwise, please believe me. The next chapter also will be longer than this one, to make up for it :)

**December 22th, 2002**: When it all began.

**October 29th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	2. Chapter 02: Follow me

**Settle the Score**   
_by Chri_

**Author rantings : **   
First, thanks for all the reviews. Some of you even put my story on their favorites list, and believe it or not, _AnimeAngel_ decided to put me on her favorite authors list (grin). To tell the truth I think it is too soon to put a story on the favorite list after only one chapter, but I will try not to disappoint your trust!

**Reviews revisited : **

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - Yes I know it was a cliffhanger. To tell the truth this one has a small one too...

_Kara_ - I hope I get it right that you are a friend of Lady Wolf Moon. If you happen to be another personality how do you write in the same review? (Joke :)) Anyway, I hope you both like this chapter!

_MikoGodess_ - Yeah I think the idea I have for the plot hasn't been written yet, as far as I know. I hope to stay away far enough from other fics to make it a bit unique. I love long chapters too (but they really are much work to write, you wouldn't believe it until you write them yourself, and 2500 isn't even THAT long)   
Thanks for adding me to the favorites!

_Krystal_ - I hope you like this chapter too. It gets a bit messy in the middle... I hope my fic will stay on your favorites list!

_AnimeAngel_ - I hurried as much as I could! There is a small cliffhanger at the end of this chapter too, sorry :). I hope it won't become a habit ...   
I'm feeling very honored to be at your favorite authors list! I wasn't an accident, I hope? :)

_usagipegusus_ - Here it goes! Sooner wasn't possible...

_KagomeWannabe_ - Glad you like it. Hope you like this chapter even more!

_Misao CG_ - Glad you like it! I'll try not to die in a car accident before I finish this fic :)

_Bex_ - WHOA don't hyperventilate. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. :) Here's the next chap! Chances are good the number three will be out this year.

**Disclaimer : **   
I'm just borrowing Inuyasha. No piracy intended.   
The title is from **Angel Dust - Follow me (Part 2)**

**Special thanks to :**   
_Kat Morning_ again. My comma placement was really awful in the earlier chapters, 'cause I didn't know better.   
_Daniel_ made suggestions on the inspection scene.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Hate - Memories tear me apart   
Live - Never thought it'd be that hard _

_**Follow me**_

Inuyasha watched his mother lying on the floor of the small hut. He was quite pleased with himself, knowing that he had carried her here. She hadn't been able to move much in the last few days, but this evening she had been able to walk around a bit for the first time. The burns on her legs were finally getting better. ´_The ointment mother taught me to make is working great. I hope she won't have any scars. If I had only woken up earlier..._´

Ayako noticed that her son still wasn't talking about the incident. "Inuyasha, I'm very proud of you! I don't think that other seven-year-old children could take care of their mother so well. It's supposed to be the other way round." She smiled at him, trying to cheer him up.

Inuyasha grinned at the praise. "Yes, I carried you all the way. Until I found this deserted hut. And I made the ointment just like you told me! Does it work? Did I make it right?"

´_He is looking really sweet when he is happy. It's sad that so few people notice that,_´ Ayako thought with a sad smile. "Yes, Inuyasha, it's helping me very much. I think I should be able to get up tomorrow. Then we will go to town and buy some supplies."

Inuyasha didn't look too happy now. "I don't want to go to town. Nobody has to know we are here." He thought for a few seconds. "We don't need supplies. I can go hunt another rabbit. Or do you want boar?" He looked at his mother. "I can catch a boar if you don't like rabbit. I just have to be really silent." He started to crawl on all four, demonstrating how he would approach his prey.

Ayako gave him an encouraging smile. "We can't live on boar alone. We also need rice, vegetables, fish. I need a new kimono since the old one has burned spots and still smells of smoke."

She sat up and took Inuyasha into her arms. "Something like the fire won't happen here. You don't have to be afraid."

Inuyasha relaxed into her embrace. "Really?"

"We won't stay here for long, anyhow. We have to get back to Sesshoumaru's land. We'll just stay until I'm well enough to make the journey back," Ayako tried to reassure him.

"I don't really like him. The times I remember, he was so cold and distant. And he always called me hanyou, as if I had some kind of disease."

Inuyasha's mother pushed her son away a bit to look him in the eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you. I am a human, you are a hanyou, Sesshoumaru is a youkai. You mustn't be ashamed for what you are. In the end we are all living, thinking beings. Do you see me feel sorry when he calls me human?"

She started to imitate Sesshoumaru's voice, "Don't think that this Sesshoumaru cares for you, human." Inuyasha started to giggle, so she continued in her normal voice. "I simply don't feel offended by being called human because it's just what I am. So you don't have to get angry for being called hanyou, because you are one. Instead of being ashamed, rather be proud about it."

Inuyasha liked that thought. Still, he wasn't convinced about town. In his old village most adults had either ignored him or been outright aggressive. But, there had been a few people who would sometimes give him a toy or joke around with him. Maybe because there were more people in a town than a village, there would also be more people who liked him.

---------

The next day Inuyasha got up late. He hadn't slept well that night, having nightmares, but couldn't really recall what they had been about. The only thing they had left was a bad feeling in his gut. He looked over to his mother's place to find that she wasn't there. He sniffed and relaxed after he caught her scent.

Inuyasha exited the hut, finding his mother outside, resting in the sun. "Good Morning, Haha-ue! Is your leg healed?" he asked, staring at her bandaged leg.

"Inuyasha! It's not polite to stare at other people's wounds!" Ayako told him, but continued with a smile. "And yes, my leg is better. I think I will buy you some honey as a thank you."

"I love honey! When do we go buy it?" Inuyasha tugged at the sleeve of his mother's kimono, his fear of the town forgotten.

"I was only waiting for you to get up," she answered, standing up. Testing her leg, she decided she should be able to make it. She gave Inuyasha a small smile and told him that she would be alright.

They sat out in a comfortable pace. Ayako seemed to have small problems walking, but she managed. Unlike usual, Inuyasha was staying near his mother, although his attention was still easily distracted. He even went to hunt after a rabbit one time, but returned when he didn't catch it immediately.

They arrived at the town at noon. It was really big, compared to the old village. Inuyasha looked at all the houses, he had never seen so many in one place. _'They're all so big!'_ The people they passed stopped conversation and stared at him. Inuyasha swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. He hated people whispering in his presence. He gave them a small smile, hoping that they wouldn't be afraid of him.

When his mother spotted a beekeeper, she bought him some honey. His thoughts fixed on the present, Inuyasha soon forgot to worry about other people. He saw that there were a lot of people gathered at the marketplace. He wanted to explore, but his mother dragged him in the other direction. Inuyasha looked back, and noticed the strange looks people were shooting him.

They bought a kimono and some other things in the town before they walked back to the hut. Inuyasha looked at his mother, finally voicing his concern, "The people in this town are really strange. They just kept whispering."

Ayako had noticed the people too. "Yes, you are right. I think we should leave here as soon as possible." She subconsciously quickened the pace. "But I'm not fit enough to make the journey back to Sesshoumaru's territory yet. I hope that one or two days will be enough."

"Why do we have to go back there?" Inuyasha wanted as much space between his brother and himself as possible. The first few times he met his half-brother he had tried to befriend him, but when he had only received annoyance and indifference he had stopped his attempts. To tell the truth, he had hoped that at least a relative would accept him... ´_At least Sesshoumaru doesn't pick on me. But he could be a bit friendlier! I haven't done him any wrong._´

"Because no youkai would dare to attack us in Sesshoumaru's domain, but outside we aren't safe." The explanation made sense to Inuyasha; not that he liked to depend on his brother.

After they had arrived at the hut, Ayako told Inuyasha to catch some fish in the nearby river, while she would prepare some rice. Inuyasha left and headed for the river. After a short walk he arrived, seeing that no one else was fishing at this spot. He went down the small slope and, after pushing up his trousers, stepped into the water.

Trying to be stealthy, Inuyasha walked into the middle of the river and waited for a fish. When he finally noticed one swimming in the knee-deep water, he gripped for the fish, but didn't catch it. It was quite difficult, as his nose and his ears didn't help him at all. At least, his claws would not let a captured fish escape.

He didn't let himself be discouraged and continued his tries. After his fourth failed attempt Inuyasha finally caught one. ´_About time! Stupid fishes with their damn luck._´ When he had caught another one, Inuyasha decided he had enough for him and his mother and went back to the hut. He contemplated to descale the fish on the way, but decided with a grin to leave the work to his mother.

When he arrived at the hut, he saw a man approaching. Inuyasha went inside and told his mother, "Haha-ue, someone is coming here. Maybe he is the owner of the hut?"

"We will see. If he is, we will invite him for dinner and apologize." They didn't have to wait for long until the man finally arrived. Ayako bowed and greeted him. "Good afternoon. What can we do for you?"

He gave them an arrogant smirk. "You will follow me. I just bought you from the town elders."

* * *

"Bastard," Inuyasha hissed and threw the man towards a tree. The red eyes were the last thing he should ever see - his neck broke when he collided with the tree. The lifeless form fell to the ground.

Meanwhile the other human had fallen unconscious from the loss of blood, instinctively clenching his hands around the throat to stop the bleeding.

Kagome watched in horror. It reminded her of the day Inuyasha had transformed and killed bandits that had attacked a village. It couldn't be much time that had passed since then. 'Two or three weeks, maybe?' They'd killed

She noticed Inuyasha's quick intakes of breath. He was still standing with his back towards them, the dead human lying next to him. His breathing was slowly got more even, his hands hanging down next to him, forming fists.

´_It's good he has Tetsusaiga with him, or he would maybe have transformed._´ Kagome looked towards Sango and Miroku, who had equally shocked expressions. It looked like it was up to her to break the silence.

"Inuyasha?" She waited for some time. When she didn't get an answer, she walked towards him. "Inuyasha?" He started to turn around. She couldn't decipher the look he was giving her. Anger, sadness, hope, confusion, everything was mixed in it.

"Let's go," he said in a neutral voice. He started to walk back to the path. "We have to get back your bike." With these words he walked ahead into the wood.

Kagome shot a questioning glance at Miroku, who just shrugged.

Sango looked at the dead bodies. She couldn't say that they hadn't earned death. They most likely had been slave hunters or something like that. ´_I don't even want to know how many girls they have sold to brothels._´ What disturbed her was the way the hunters had died. Inuyasha had killed them out of hate, although he hadn't known them. The hanyou was quite quick to anger, but you didn't earn his hate that quickly. "That was weird," she said, breaking the silence.

"Definitely," Miroku agreed. "I think we should go after him."

Kagome and Miroku turned to follow Inuyasha, but Sango told them to wait a minute. She walked over to the corpses, examining each of them. "They could have been ronin, who had taken up bounty hunter business," she told her friends. Their cloths seemed to be of normal quality, although she wondered why they didn't wear any armor. "A lot of masterless samurais are trying to survive in these chaotic times, and some don't care how they earn their money."

She didn't want to turn the dead humans, touching them would bring bad luck. ´_Definitely don't need it right now,_´ she thought with a grimace, also taking into account that their backs wouldn't provide any additional information. She sighed, aggravated that she couldn't find any clues why Inuyasha had killed them. Watching out to not touch the corpses, she picked up the swords. ´_Better than nothing..._´ She joined her friends, telling them she hadn't found any valuable information.

---------

It was late evening. Inuyasha had kept ahead of them for the whole day. Now he was sitting in a tree, quite some distance between him and the group. Kagome looked into the fire they were sitting around, not knowing what to think. She noticed that all of her comrades were also staring into the fire that provided some light in the darkness.

"What do you think that was about?" Kagome asked. Maybe they could solve the riddle together.

"Inuyasha seemed to be very angry at the humans," Miroku offered.

"I would call it hate. But it didn't seem like he knew them," Sango told them her observations. "So I think it must have been their actions that upset him."

Kagome thought about Sango's opinion. "Maybe he _did_ know them. He talked to the man he... threw against the tree. It was too quiet to understand but I'm sure he told him something before he killed him."

Miroku didn't let that count. "He could have told him anything. You know Inuyasha, he curses a lot when he is fighting. And Inuyasha has been pinned to the Goshinboku for fifty years and these guys didn't look old enough to know him from before. Kaede-sama was a child back then and now she is an old woman. Inuyasha has stayed with us since he awakened, we would have noticed if he met them anywhere."

Kagome had to agree. "Yes, they weren't more than thirty. Maybe it is because they wanted to capture us? He also wanted to know why."

"But they were not anywhere near hurting or capturing us," Sango objected. "Especially with one of them already wounded."

Shippou had formed an idea on his own. "I think Inuyasha didn't like it when one of them called Kagome pretty. You know how he reacts when Kouga is around."

Miroku made another guess. "Maybe it has to do with the swords. They seem out of the ordinary." He picked up one of the two swords Sango had taken with her, examining the magic that surrounded the blades. "It is a rather weak enchantment. It just strengthens the blade to hurt youkai. No poison, no side effects." He concentrated more. "It wouldn't hurt stronger youkai and I also doubt that they would cut Inuyasha's haori."

His face suddenly serious, Miroku got up to kneel before Sango. "Dear Sango, I think you should take these blades. They aren't as good as Hiraikotsu, but are a better backup than the sword you own now," he said dramatically, bowing while offering her the blades.

"Thank you, Houshi-sama. But I only need one of them, you can have the other one," Sango said, taking one of the swords.

Miroku looked up with a grin. "Sango, I'm very honored! You must really care for me to endow me with the sister blade of your sword!"

Sango turned red. ´_This has been his plan all along. Think, girl, think! You can't let him win._´ "Houshi-sama," she began, seriousness filling her voice, "I offer you the brother of my sword because you have become like a brother to me."

Miroku's face fell. Only when Sango started to grin he noticed he had been fooled. "That was cruel, Sango!" he complained.

"At least it wasn't under the belt like _your_ last. The more the merrier, pah." Sango turned her head away.

Miroku sighed. Trying to look dignified, he retreated, taking his new sword with him. Usually monks were not carrying swords, but he was always bending the rules a bit, so this wouldn't restrain him. ´_Desperate times, drastic measures._´ He didn't know how to fight with a sword anyway, so his staff would stay the weapon he would fight with. He sat down on his old place and brought up the original topic. "Anyway, I don't think that the swords are unique enough to capture Inuyasha's attention."

Kagome threw a log into the fire. "In the end, we can only guess. Sometimes I'm wondering if I really know Inuyasha, he tells me almost nothing about him and his past."

Shippou didn't agree. "Of course we know him. He's the stubborn jerk who will kick Naraku's butt. And he also told you about his past today."

"Really? What did he say?" Sango asked the fox youkai.

"Inuyasha told us that Sesshoumaru protected him when he was a child. Didn't make any sense to me." Shippou thought for a while. "I guessed that Sesshoumaru hasn't tried to kill him when he was a child, but now I wonder why they hate each other that much."

"Maybe it's only sibling rivalry. Sesshoumaru even helped us out when Inuyasha was running amok," Sango guessed.

Miroku shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Sesshoumaru wouldn't impale Inuyasha if it were only that," he said. It had been his first encounter with the hanyou's brother. "You weren't there that time, Sango, they were definitely fighting to the death."

"But still, Sesshoumaru let Inuyasha live when he had knocked him out. He even gave us the hint to transform him back by using Tetsusaiga," Sango substantiated her theory.

Kagome stood up. Having enough of taking wild guesses, she said, "I will go to Inuyasha. You stay here or he won't talk." The hanyou opened up more when the others weren't around.

She walked over to Inuyasha.

* * *

**December 24th, 2002**: Chapter 2 finished. 

**October 29th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	3. Chapter 03: Dialogue with the Stars

**Settle the Score**   
_by Chri_

**Reviews revisited :**

_(Ano Nymous)_ - I'm sorry to disappoint you (you'll see what I mean) :)

_usagipegusus_ - Yes it is dealing with Inuyasha's past in it's own way

_MikoGoddess_ - There will be conversation in this chapter (even the title says it) :).   
Sorry to tell you I decided for a Vocabulary chapter, because it is much less work. And I think most people should know what is meant by the basic Japanese words.

**Disclaimer : **   
Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, Kaede, Kikyou, Sesshoumaru, Naraku - Rumiko Takahashi   
2 dead humans - Mine (Somehow I feel disappointed)   
The title's from **In Flames - Dialogue with the Stars**.

**Special thanks to :**   
_Kat Morning_, she even managed to find a big fault in my writing. Read about it in my end rantings if you are interested.   
_Daniel_ and _Mikky_ provided some advice.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**_Dialogue with the Stars_**

He had stayed away for the rest of the day. Now it was already dark and he sat on a tree, looking at the moon. It was waning - soon enough he would turn human once again.

Today's events had unlocked the last memory of his childhood. For a moment he had only seen this asshole who said he owned him, and had attacked. When he recovered from his flashback, he had had the small one up by his throat. ´_I wonder if I would have transformed again if I hadn't had Tetsusaiga by my side. I could almost feel it, forcing back my youkai blood._´ But hadn't he been consumed by rage nonetheless?

He had killed Ryuukotsusei only two weeks ago and since then had been sure that losing control was a thing of the past. But today's events made him unsure again – he hadn't lost himself, but he hadn't exactly kept his head, either. If he hadn't remembered that Kagome was behind him, he probably would have torn the second man to shreds, not just broken his neck.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha muttered to no one in particular. The killings had been gruesome enough as it was. He looked over to the group gathered around the fire. None of them had tried to talk to him today. He just hoped that they would be better after a night's sleep. He didn't know how he would explain himself tomorrow. His only chance was that they wouldn't be too nosy, which was not very likely.

Inuyasha's thoughts turned to Kagome. He always tried to spare Kagome sights like these. He could have defeated a few youkai faster, but hadn't done so because it would have been too messy. The others didn't notice most of the time, and if Sango or Miroku did, they blamed it on his stupidity or his styleless fighting. Only Sango sometimes had a suspicious look on her face, but didn't seem to be sure.

If Kagome decided to leave him, he wouldn't know what to do. He didn't think that would happen, as they still had a jewel to complete, but Kagome usually was the first trying to talk to him and stick her nose into his past. She was the only one around whom he relaxed enough to sometimes drop the tough act. He also was constantly behaving childishly around her, always arguing and doing silly things. He enjoyed her presence very much.

But what would she think about his memory loss? Since he could remember, he had always tried to cover it up. He had enough problems because of his lineage, he didn't want to add to that by being called stupid. With the years he had learned that the less people knew about him in any aspect, the less they could harm him. It had been hard to open up to Kikyou, and this time it was no different.

In the late time, Kagome was asking about his past frequently, and he had been answering her as truthful as possible. He couldn't deny that he liked to talk with her, and that he didn't think she would use what he told her against him, but sometimes he had had to evade her, especially when he didn't _know_ what to answer.

´_Maybe I should tell her,_´ Inuyasha thought. If he continued to be relaxed around her, she would maybe find out anyway. He didn't want to shut her out again, but if he continued to be careless around her, he would enmesh himself in contradictions. He liked to be careless around someone. He liked to trust someone.

He hadn't been able to trust her for a long time. Having his hopes with Kikyou shattered had left a deep mistrust in him. Dying was a very unique experience, especially with your love's arrow in the heart. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't befriended Kagome immediately afterwards. He'd maybe have spent a few years more in seclusion. How many, he didn't even want to know. He could still, after all these months, feel some of the mistrust. They'd gone through a lot together – Sesshoumaru, Naraku's foul traps; only three weeks ago he'd lost himself in a village and slaughtered a bunch of bandits. He might not have escaped alive a few times without them.

Despite all that, he still didn't trust Miroku or Sango completely. He accepted them as his companions, but some of their actions prevented him from trusting them too much - like Sango's theft of Tetsusaiga, or Miroku's theft of the Shikon shards when they had first met him. Miroku had tried to suck him into his Air Rip, while he himself had only peacefully tried to get back what was his. ´_Well, as peacefully as possible._´

Maybe his trust in Kagome also was a bit forced. After all, she had complete control over him with that fucking word. He was dependent on her. But she had never tried to kill him, unlike his other friends. If she wanted to, she could sit him all day till his neck broke or something. If she sat him in a battle, he would be dead before he knew what hit him.

"I'm a fucking moron," Inuyasha sighed, staring up to the stars. No wonder his brother was disgusted with him. But it also was this power over him that had allowed him to get to know Kagome. And it was this power that she didn't abuse, so he trusted - had to trust her - with his life. It was quite complex, and he had to admit he didn't understand his feelings completely. He hated it when he didn't even understand himself.

'_Just like I hate not even remembering my own childhood!'_ Although he sometimes thought that strange dreams had to do with, they were never substantial enough to guess anything. When he heard Kagome talking about her life, about her own childhood, he even got aggressive, envious he didn't know his own. He clenched his fists, angry at himself.

"Inuyasha?" he heard suddenly, startling him out of his musings. He tore his gaze away from the sky and looked down to see Kagome stand under the tree. Inuyasha felt relieved that she finally came to talk to him. He hadn't noticed her approach, so he looked over to the fire to check if Sango, Miroku and Shippou were still sitting around the fire. "Kagome." He didn't know how to begin, so he simply settled for her name.

Kagome sat down with her back against the tree. "You okay?" she asked, without looking up to him.

"Yeah, and you?"

"Fine too."

"That's good."

The sat in silence for some time, until Kagome spoke up. "What happened today, Inuyasha?" she asked bluntly.

"I killed a pair of fucking slavers," Inuyasha answered.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it. Inuyasha, tell me!" She looked up and looked at him as appellatively as she could.

"No."

"Inuyasha, please?"

"No," Inuyasha refused again.

Kagome got angry. "I have a right to know!"

"No." He noticed that he had settled back to obscuring almost subconsciously, like he always did when he was cornered. _'Maybe it would be better to fill her in?'_

"Inuyashaaa ..." he heard the miko threaten below him, snapping him out of his musings. He knew what would follow and got angry himself. "Look, I can't tell you because I fucking DON'T KNOW!" he shouted at her.

Kagome looked dumbfound at his outburst. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"It means I don't know! What part of 'I don't know' do you not understand?"

"Inuyasha."

"Yes?"

"Osuwari."

Inuyasha had been partially expecting the command and managed not to hurt himself too much from falling off the top of the tree. "Dammit!"

"Now will you finally tell me?"

Inuyasha thought for a while. He had avoided telling her, but it didn't look like it would work much longer. It was not only this time, lately he had been cornered quite often.

´_I think I'm clever enough, but on the other hand I am stupid enough to forget something like THAT. Like a complete idiot._´ He didn't want Kagome, or anyone else, to think he was stupid, but he wouldn't get around telling her sooner or later. ´_Might as well do it now._´ But that didn't mean the others had to know. He realized that was another advantage of telling her, she would be able to help him concealing it. And she would finally stop asking about things he couldn't answer. He hoped she knew how much trust he was placing in her.

"You have to promise me not to tell anybody. And with anybody I mean especially Sango, Miroku and Shippou. And with promise I mean to never ever under any circumstances tell anybody," he demanded, looking very serious.

"Promise."

"You don't mean it!" Inuyasha criticized. "Promise on ... the Shikon no Tama. And your life," he demanded. If he really told her, he had to make sure she didn't tell this to anyone.

"I promise on the Shikon no Tama and my life to never ever under any circumstances tell anybody, including Sango, Miroku and Shippou," an impatient, but serious Kagome promised.

'_I guess it won't get better...'_ Inuyasha thought. He leaned closer to whisper into her ear, not trusting that the figures he could see around the fire weren't some of Shippou's illusions. Not wanting to jump her with his revelation, he began, "The truth is, I don't really know."

Kagome looked ready to strangle him.

Inuyasha backed away a bit, but continued anyway after quickly checking his surroundings one more time. "When the human talked about selling me, I remembered the last memory of my childhood. It basically ends with me being sold to some guy."

Kagome was pacified. "Who was it? And when do you think your childhood ended?" He was the most immature teenager she could think of. "And who sold you? It wouldn't be your mother, I hope."

"No! Of course not!" Inuyasha defended his mother. "I guess it were some assholes from the town I lived in at the time. I was seven back then. And I don't know who the guy who bought me was, I just get angry whenever I think of him."

"So you could escape?" Kagome wasn't able to disentangle the contradictions. He didn't know the guy so he couldn't have been caught. "Then why do you get that angry when you think about him?"

"It's... because I don't know what happened afterwards; my memory ends there. Next thing I know is me running away in a blizzard." Inuyasha shuddered at the memory.

"So you got mature from one day to the other?" Kagome asked disbelievingly, an ounce of sarcasm seeping into her voice.

Inuyasha thought he had been evading Kagome enough, not that he wanted to fool her. It just wasn't easy for him to talk about the matter. He finally chose to let the cat out of the bag. "Kagome, I was thirteen when I was in that blizzard."

"WHAT?"

---------

Sango and Miroku looked over to them. Sango had just drifted off into sleep, only to be scared awake by Kagome's scream. She looked over to Miroku who was readying himself for battle.

When they saw Inuyasha was still sitting next to Kagome, waving them to stop, they relaxed. The only one who didn't take notice of the events was Shippou, who was snoring in Kagome's sleeping bag.

Sango looked over to Miroku. "Do you think we should go check?"

"No, I don't think so. And we can't go eavesdropping either, Inuyasha would notice our approach," Miroku answered somewhat disappointed.

"That won't be necessary. Kagome will tell us tomorrow anyway, if Inuyasha refuses to."

Miroku thought on that. "Yes, in the worst case you have to have a nice little girl-to-girl talk with Kagome."

"Hmmm, I don't think it will go that far. But if she does only talk to me, what will you offer for the information?" Sango teased the monk.

"My everlasting love?" Miroku tried.

"That was to be expected..." Sango muttered, again preparing for sleep. "Don't think you will get away so cheap."

Miroku feigned hurt. "You deem my love cheap?"

"No, I do not," Sango replied. She realized what she had said, glad that Kagome wasn't there. "Just go to sleep... _No_, not with me!"

---------

Their friends were looking over to them, so Inuyasha gestured them to sit down again. He didn't need them over there now. "Ssshh, keep your voice down." After making sure that they were being left alone, he continued, "The truth is, I forgot everything that happened between the day when I was in the hut with my mother at the age of seven, and the day when I ran away from whatever into the blizzard, being thirteen. I don't know what happened in these six years of my life..." Inuyasha trailed off and looked at Kagome. How would she react?

Kagome was completely taken by surprise. "You know nothing of your childhood?"

"Not a single memory."

Kagome didn't know what to say. She noticed that Inuyasha, although he tried to hide it, looked really anxious. She thought of something to break the silence. "So, why did you get so angry?" Kagome asked him the question she originally had come over to ask, meanwhile trying to process what she had heard.

"I think it has to do with this one guy from my memory. I don't know why, but I just hate him more than you can imagine. Not even Sesshoumaru manages to anger me that much." He paused, drawing in a breath. "When the human talked about capturing me ... capturing you ... I was reminded of him."

Kagome was silent. There he was again, telling her that he worried for her. But he also worried for Kikyou, and he loved her. Sometimes she wished she could look into Inuyasha's head, to know what he thought of her. She was sure that she was more than just a 'Shard-detector', but what exactly was she to him?

Inuyasha interpreted her silence as disapproval. "Look, you know I don't kill without reason. And what am I supposed to do when someone threatens to capture us and sell us to god knows who?"

Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha. She couldn't approve to him killing humans. "Yes, they were wrong. But you cannot simply kill them just because they remind you of someone of the past!"

"And what should I have done with them?" Inuyasha asked. "Let them live? Let them run? So they can capture some girls who aren't able to fend them off?"

Kagome hadn't thought about that. Inuyasha, although he had been angry, had been thinking ahead more than she would have trusted him to. Usually he just seemed to attack everything that angered him. Maybe he was just inventing an excuse? "No, but you could have turned them over."

"What for? Nobody would feel offended by catching youkai, nobody would believe our story about them capturing girls, and if somebody did the two would have been executed anyway." Inuyasha didn't understand how Kagome's solution was better than his.

Kagome still objected, these methods just were barbaric. "In my time criminals are locked away, how longs depends on the crime they have committed. You don't get your hand hacked off just for stealing bread, and a death sentence is only spoken at the most horrible crimes." Many industrial countries had stopped killing criminals, although she knew it was still practiced in America as well as her home country and also many countries of the Second and the Third World. _'How far have we really gotten in these five-hundred years?'_ she wondered briefly.

"Not everybody has the luck to live in your time. That sure sounds nice, but it wouldn't work here. Who would look after the criminals? Who would buy food for them?" Inuyasha didn't understand who would care for criminals. Maybe it had to do with the fact that food was much easier to get in her time, so they had enough to spare?

Kagome decided to drop the matter. "Why were you lying about your childhood?"

"I didn't lie..." Inuyasha paused. "I just didn't want you to know."

"But why?" she inquired again.

Inuyasha looked up to the stars, not able to look at Kagome. "I don't ..." He stopped and began anew. "I didn't want you to ... think I'm ... stupid."

Kagome looked surprised. He cared for what she thought about him? "I don't think you are stupid. There must be a reason." She noticed Inuyasha's relieved look. "I know you aren't stupid, though you're sure acting like it most of the time," she told him good-naturedly.

"Keh."

"Do you have a clue why you have forgotten? Maybe someone cast a spell on you?" Kagome tried to remember if Kaede had told her anything about spells that would mess people's minds, but didn't come up with anything.

"Nope, no real clues. The only thing I know is that I had a sore feeling in the chest, not unlike the time I healed after Sesshoumaru impaled me." He spoke the name of his brother with clear dislike. "Damn bastard... I don't think you can lighten up things with that?"

"Sorry, no idea. Maybe we can do something about it?" she offered.

"I don't think that we can do much about it. And we have better things to do than helping me remember what it was like to play around in the mud." Inuyasha kept secret that he didn't like people messing around with his mind, friend or foe alike. It was something that belonged only to him.

When he thought of the meeting with the fake mother Sesshoumaru had made up he only remembered helplessness. He hadn't been able to do a thing to escape her spell. If Kagome hadn't pulled him out, all his strength would not have been able to save him.

Inuyasha continued, coming back from his thoughts. "Naraku is out there, with a really large piece of the Shikon no Tama. We don't have time to search around for a cure or a counterspell," he stated. ´_There it is again, the Shikon no Tama as excuse._´

Inuyasha wasn't that interested in the jewel anymore. After being accepted by his friends as a hanyou, he didn't see the need to turn human. It would also mean he wouldn't be able to protect Kagome that well anymore. And turning full youkai could also mean a personality change, as Miroku had pointed out – and he was forced to believe it by the events following his brief transformations into youkai. That did definitely fall into the mind-messing category. If it was only a bit like when his youkai blood took over, he definitely didn't want it that way.

But what reason did he have to stay with them? ´_To stay with Kagome?_´ So he stayed with his story of wanting to turn youkai. And the Shikon no Tama wasn't to be left in the hands of someone like Naraku. Inuyasha not only wanted to kill him, but had to avenge Kikyou as well. Once they had it, he could still decide what to do.

His musings were interrupted by Kagome. "Hmm, you are right, we have a few things on our schedule. But I will ask the doctor at our school the next time I see him, maybe it is just some kind of sickness or injury." She had heard of various diseases that caused loss of memory.

"Hmm, don't think so, I don't get your stupid diseases," Inuyasha lectured. "And I doubt that Haha-ue dropped me on the head that day."

"Still, it will not hurt to ask," Kagome stated.

Inuyasha didn't object. It wasn't as if he wasn't interested in his past. Hell, he was incredibly curious, he only didn't want to show. But they also had other problems to care about, despite as tempting as Kagome's offer sounded.

"And the next time don't kill humans, ok?" Kagome added when she saw him preparing to get up.

"I wonder why you never whined when I was about to kill a youkai?" Inuyasha asked.

"That is another matter. And I object when you want to kill good youkai," Kagome clarified.

"Yes, but you also want to safe bad humans, while you have no problem with killing bad youkai. The ones are as much my kind as the others," Inuyasha told her. ´_And neither one is it really..._´ he added in his thoughts. He got up, walking towards the fire. "Humans can be just as cruel as youkai," he told Kagome. ´_I know it._´

Kagome stood up and followed him, a new question popping up in her head. "Why don't you want me to tell anything to our friends?"

Inuyasha tried to keep his voice down. "Just do it. You fucking promised!"

"Yes, but in exchange you have to tell me why I have to keep my mouth shut!" Kagome demanded. It was a gamble, he didn't like being pushed around, but if she just kept silent he wouldn't tell her for sure.

"Not so loud, Miroku and Sango will hear you!" He looked over to the fire to find everyone asleep. "If I tell you, you have to shut up once and for all, is that clear?" Inuyasha waited until Kagome nodded before he continued, "And you have to tell them that what we talked about is to remain between you and me."

Inuyasha looked over to the fire, letting his eyes stray over the sleeping figures. "I don't want them to think I'm an idiot. It's nice to be treated ..." He didn't finish the sentence; instead he stopped to walk and turned to face Kagome, giving her a hard look. "You are the only person I _ever_ told this. Nobody knows, not even Myouga." With that he jumped away up the tree nearest to the fire in one giant leap. He landed without a sound, not waking any of his friends sleeping ten meters (30 feet) below him.

Kagome looked after him, too stunned to close her mouth, wondering about how mature Inuyasha could turn all of a sudden. After a few seconds she got a grip on herself and began to walk to her sleeping bag.

She felt proud. This was one of the longest talks they had ever had and Inuyasha had shared something with her that he hadn't told _anyone_ before. It would be their little secret. ´_Little! Little is the understatement of the year. And it seems that it's an even bigger matter to Inuyasha. He hasn't even trusted Kikyou with this!_´

Kagome reached he sleeping bag and saw that Shippou was already sleeping in it. She pushed him to the side a bit, trying not to wake him, and crawled into the bag.

She wasn't able to find sleep. She looked up to find that Inuyasha seemed asleep. She couldn't make out much, although the sky was unclouded and there was a waning half moon, providing some light. She turned to look at the stars instead.

´_Maybe Inuyasha doesn't like Kikyou that much. After all, he had been under a spell when she tried to take him with her to hell. And when I snapped him out of it, his face was filled with concern. For me._´

´_And what's with the other times? He defends her everytime anyone of us criticizes her._´ He didn't even mind her giving their shards to Naraku. And every time he saw her he got that look on his face. ´_But he didn't tell her his secret._´ On the other hand, Inuyasha seemed to have enough secrets for half of Japan. He probably had told Kikyou things he hadn't told her.

´_But nothing as important as this._´

With this thought she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Hmm, my chapters are getting longer. I'm sorry that there was no action, but it wouldn't have fitted anywhere. 

Inuyasha was quite difficult to write in this chapter, especially the part where he talks with Kagome. I think I didn't get him out of character, remember when he pushed Kagome into the well (after fighting Sesshoumaru) he also got serious.

Because I am a guy, the monologue of Kagome also was a bit hard to write. You know, which man really understands what's going on in the mind of a woman? ;) Because of the monologue I also decided to introduce quotation marks for thoughts, it would have been a mess otherwise. I updated the older chapters too, but you don't have to reread them (except you want to see all the nice apostrophes.)

About the execution discussion, I'm against death sentences, but I think in a country without a real government like feudal Japan it might not be easy to have the needed administration to do that. Here in Europe this isn't practiced, so maybe I'm prejudiced. I fail to catch the reason for locking a few selected individuals up for twenty years, just to kill them in the end.

**December 27th, 2003**: Chapter 3 finished.

**May 13th, 2003**: Edited the chapter with Kat's help. Thanks to one of her comments I found out that death sentences also exist in Japan, before I had just assumed they don't (hell, I had been sure). I tell you, nobody in Europe knows that; Kat only guessed, too. Do they try to keep it secret? Doing research, I found out that Japan was the first (and only) country on earth who had death sentences forbidden for more than 300 years in a row (in the Heinan era, 818-1156). It is said that the belief in angry spirits was the main reason...

**October 30th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	4. Chapter 04: Breathe

**Settle the Score**   
_by Chri_

**Author rantings : **   
Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you like long chapters, so prepare yourself :)

When I read my old chapters I was disappointed that they were much shorter than I thought them to be, so I decided to try a longer one. It's my first fic, so I can't tell for sure, but I think I'll change to longer chapters from now on.

It's really strange, you write almost forever and all you produce is almost nothing...

**Reviews revisited : **

_Queen of Blades_ - Glad that you like it! If I ever find time, I'm gonna try your Starcraft fics (Got curious at your name, I played that game like crazy, still do sometimes; and I like angsty fics) :)

_usagipegusus_ - Wow you are my most loyal reviewer! Thanks for reviewing all chapters that far. I also saw that my fic made it on your favorite list! I hope you like this chapter, it's extra-long :)

_nEw moDel n0.15_ - Well, I like fics that contain some angst (at least in the beginning), and I hope I get the balance right between good times and bad times (it won't be a dark fic, I think) to make the fic believable. I'm downloading your 2 recommended songs at the moment, nice to know there are fellow metalheads out there (although I'm more oldschool :) )

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - Ok so you are three friends liking anime, got that. If you want extra rantings, write extra reviews (I like reviews ;)).

**Disclaimer :   
**I don't own Inuyasha or the rest. I'm just borrowing them a bit.   
_Prodigy's_** Breathe** seemed fitting the best, no metal this time.

**Special thanks to :**   
_Kat Morning_ for beta-reading. I also have to thank her that I finally know now that there is a comma needed after phrases like "of course".

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Come play my game   
Inhale, inhale, you're the victim   
Come play my game   
Exhale, exhale, exhale_

_**Breathe**_

_I wake up, smelling smoke. Looking around, I notice that the whole room is engulfed by fire. I look around to search for mother - I can hear here coughing nearby. But every time I turn towards the source of the source of the sound, it seems to come from behind me._

_The room is getting hotter and hotter. The smoke bites my eyes, makes them fill with tears. As I gasp, I can suddenly make out a figure in the smoke._

_"Haha-ue!?" I run towards the silhouette, but stop when I reach the person. It is mother, standing there in something resembling Kikyou's miko clothes. Her hair is burning and her skin is already blistering. But the clothes don't catch fire._

_"You are late, Inuyasha..." she scolds and walks towards me, reaching for me. Her hand is only bones, all the flesh burned away._

_I try to flinch, but my body won't move. Her bony hand still reaching for me, the facial skin of mother begins to meld away in the heat like wax, revealing a new face. The face of the man I hate more than anyone._

_Fear. I regain control of my body and flee, but can't find an exit - just fire everywhere I turn._

_Soon I run out of air, smoke irritating my lungs. My legs give away and I fall to my knees, coughing. "You won't be able to run away forever," I hear from behind me, paired with steps coming closer. I snap for air that I need to flee, but instead only inhale smoke. I need air! I can feel two bony hands closing around my neck, choking me from behind. No! I need to breathe! I need -_

---------

"AAAAAH!" Inuyasha took in a deep breath. He exhaled sharply, trying to get the smoke out of his lungs, and took another breath of the cold morning air.

"Inuyasha, are you all right?" Miroku asked under him. Inuyasha shook himself, trying to regain his composure. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, feel it in his temple. He was glad he hadn't fallen out of the tree; all his years lying up in trees seemed to pay off.

Inuyasha looked down to see that everyone, even Shippou, seemed to be awoken by his shout and now looked up to him expectantly. "Yeah, just a stupid nightmare."

That was why he didn't like to talk about his past; all it ever got him were the weirdest dreams. He wondered why this asshole always made an appearance in his dreams. ´_If I ever get my hands on his neck ..._´ He jumped down to join his companions. Everyone still looked at him. "What?"

Sango spoke up. "What was it about?" The others nodded, looking from Sango back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha gave her a glare. "Something that doesn't interest nosy youkai exterminators."

Shippou jumped on Sango's shoulder. "I'm interested too. What is the wannabe-almighty Inuyasha afraid of? You will have to get stronger, so you don't have to be scared of nightmares," he teased the hanyou. ´_This is going to be so much fun,_´ the fox child thought with a grin.

But he hadn't included Inuyasha's fist in the equation, which connected with his head. "Maybe you should take your own advice, brat," Inuyasha said, again punching Shippou on the head, but this time not as fast. "You can't even dodge when I'm playing!" he laughed at the kid. Shippou jumped down from Sango's shoulder and hid behind her.

"Osuwari."

Inuyasha slammed into the ground with a snarl. "Oi, Kagome, what was that for?"

Kagome looked tired. "No fighting with Shippou!"

Inuyasha got up. "But we just had a serious discussion on our fighting skills," he said with an evil smirk directed at the kid.

"What skill?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha's fighting consisted mainly of simple sword strikes and some really basic punches. And, of course, a lot of cursing.

Inuyasha glared at the monk. "More skill than yours." Inuyasha stretched his right hand in front of him. "Kazaana!" he shouted in the most disrespectful imitation of Miroku's voice he was capable of. "Very skillful indeed."

"I use my curse only as last resort. I'm very well capable of handling most things without," Miroku replied in an uninterested voice.

Shippou used the distraction to decide who it would be safer to be with. He looked between Sango and Kagome and finally settled for Kagome. He ran over to her and jumped onto her shoulder. "Let's see if you dare to attack now!" he shouted at Inuyasha, interrupting the hanyou's argument with Miroku.

"Keh."

´_Damn Kagome,_´ Inuyasha thought. The brat always hid behind her and the fucking word. Suddenly he had an idea. "I was not attacking you." He put on his most serious expression. "I was trying to teach you a bit."

"No way..." Shippou eyed him critically.

"I'm serious. The second blow didn't hurt as much, did it? Because you were able to avoid the full force of the blow."

When he saw Shippou nod in agreement, Inuyasha looked at him in feigned awe. "I'm really impressed Shippou, you are learning almost as fast as me. But if you don't want to get stronger..." he trailed off with a shrug.

Shippou was silent for a second. "I think I might be able to dodge another one. Kagome, do not interfere," he finally said and jumped in front of Inuyasha, who knelt down to be on the same level as his 'apprentice'. "Okay, fox, you ready?"

When Shippou nodded, he received his first hit on the head. "Don't let yourself be distracted!" Inuyasha lectured in a stern voice. He waited for the kid to regain his stance.

He threw the next punch even slower, allowing the fox to almost dodge it. "Wow, Shippou, you nearly evaded it this time!"

´_The kid can be so stupid._´ Inuyasha thought when he saw the determined look on Shippou's face. ´_Let's see how long I can continue this._´ If he tackled this problem the right way, maybe he could give Shippou a daily dose of punches. But he would have to convince Kagome that it was really training, what would be quite hard. Nonetheless, he could enjoy the fun as long as it lasted. He punched not hitting the kid. "Shippou, that just was your first dodged punch. You really have talent!"

---------

Meanwhile, Miroku and Sango had taken Kagome out of Inuyasha's hearing range; at least, they hoped so. The monk had come up with the idea to interrogate Kagome when they had seen Inuyasha distracted with Shippou, willing to sacrifice the kid in hope that Shippou's headache wouldn't be too serious.

"Kagome-chan, what did Inuyasha tell you yesterday?" Sango asked.

Kagome had been expecting the question, but still didn't know how to answer. She had thought of various replies, but all had sounded like a lame excuse. ´_Shouldn't have gotten all cocky yesterday, planning ahead would have been better,_´ the miko scolded herself. "Umm, we were just talking a bit."

Sango inched nearer. "A bit?" They had stayed away long enough for her to fall asleep.

Miroku came closer too. "Just talking?" Sango gave him an annoyed look.

Kagome backed away again. "Yeah. We just talked. A bit."

Miroku took another step towards her. "What about?"

Kagome took another step backwards, suddenly standing with her back against a tree. ´_Damn, I'm trapped._´ She tried very hard to make up a topic for yesterday's discussion, but her ability for keeping a cool head let her down this time. Inuyasha's revelation was still roaming through her head, distracting her even after a night's sleep. "Just about ... stuff."

"I don't believe you, Kagome-sama," Miroku accused her in a stern voice. Sango put her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You can tell us," she told the miko in her most caring voice.

Kagome looked from one of her captors to the other. Was it just her imagination, or were they playing good cop, bad cop? She had to get away; when the youkai exterminator and the monk joined forces, she wouldn't be able to last long against them. In their own way, they both were masters in drawing information out of others. Their skill was very useful on their journey, but right now Kagome could have done without it.

"Don't you think we should look after Shippou?" She tried to get a look at the kid. Sango and Miroku were completely blocking off her sight, most likely to keep Inuyasha from noticing them. Crying for his help would look really strange - they were her friends, after all. ´_Aren't they?_´ she thought when she noticed the almost hungry look in the eyes of both of them. She felt a bit like a deer watching into the eyes of a wolf.

"Shippou is training with Inuyasha. You are evading the question, Kagome-sama," Miroku told her. He had been expecting this excuse since the beginning and quickly did away with it, not going into detail about Shippou's training. When Sango was about to go on, she suddenly felt her head knocked against Miroku's.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha barked at the two after he had knocked their heads against one another. Kagome instantly fled at his side, going between Sango and Miroku who were both rubbing the sides of their heads. "Being nosy again, Sango?"

"It was his idea," the youkai exterminator accused, pointing at her comrade.

"And you went with it," Miroku stated.

"And I will kill you both!" Inuyasha threatened them.

Neither of the caught pair dared answer and both settled for pacifying gestures.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," Kagome said in a relieved voice.

"You should sit him for attacking us, not reward him!" Sango complained.

"Feh, you both deserved it!" Inuyasha argued evenly, calmed down by Kagome's approval. "Just feel lucky I didn't crack your skulls."

Meanwhile, Shippou was catching up with them. _'Maybe it's not bad that Inuyasha has rushed to Kagome when he noticed her being cornered,'_ he thought, feeling dizzy. "What were you thinking, abusing my training as a chance to question Kagome!" he shouted when he reached his friends.

Everyone was giving him a strange look. "What is it?"

"Nothing!" four mouths answered as one. Sango and Miroku didn't want the fox to know that they had willingly left him with Inuyasha, Kagome felt guilty for letting Inuyasha fool the kid, and the hanyou was hoping for another training session with Shippou. Repeatedly hitting the brat on the head had been very entertaining for him.

Inuyasha made up a training schedule in his head. Two session per day seemed enough, but maybe three were better? ´_Let's try three for the beginning,_´ Inuyasha decided with a grin.

"So," Miroku began, "what were you talking about yesterday? I presume it had to do with your outburst, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou nodded. "Yes, it did." Now it depended on him to satisfy his curious companions. "I killed the two because they were slavers. Kagome didn't agree with killing them, so we discussed if killing criminals is justified. To make a long story short, Kagome is against it, I'm not," he told them curtly. A small part of the truth wouldn't hurt.

Inuyasha turned and walked back to the remains of yesterday's fire, indicating that the discussion was finished. Kagome immediately followed after him with Shippou, while the monk started plotting again. "It looks like we have to use plan B, Sango. I distract Inuyasha so you and Kagome can talk undisturbed," he told her when they were out of hearing range.

Sango nodded, "I think the direct approach should be better."

"Yes, Kagome will not fall for some kind of trick in that matter," Miroku agreed. "Maybe you should say that you are afraid of Inuyasha. She will most likely want to reassure you."

"Hmm, good idea," Sango told him. "But I will use it only as last resort. If she tells Inuyasha afterwards, he will not be pleased."

Miroku grinned at her, "Should Inuyasha be angry with you, I would watch your back."

Sango rolled with her eyes. "As long as you only watch..."

They went back and had a quick breakfast, consisting mainly of long-life milk from Kagome's time and corn flakes. "This milk is really great. It should be sour by now," Miroku wondered out loud.

"Well, it tastes awful." Inuyasha made a face.

"The rest like it!" Kagome said a bit unnerved.

"Yeah, but the rest don't have my sense of taste and smell. The smell alone is really bad!" Inuyasha ate his corn flakes without milk. Because it was faster, he poured them into his mouth directly from the corn flakes package.

Kagome shook her head. "You could, at least once, eat like everyone else here. Even Shippou is having what everyone else has."

Inuyasha saw the face which Shippou made with each spoon of milk with corn flakes; the fox seemed to eat it only for her sake. Inuyasha put the package down and swallowed the corn flakes he still had in his mouth. "What for? The corn flakes are easier to eat this way. And I don't want this brew you call milk, anyway," he answered with a disgusted look. "You should listen to me," Inuyasha continued when he saw the disappointed look on Kagome's face. "With your dull senses you wouldn't notice if it were poison." With that he leaned his head back and continued to empty the corn flakes package.

Miroku decided to bring up something more important. "I think now is a good time to discuss where to head. We should be back at Kaede-sama's village in eight days at the latest." He gave the hanyou, who would transform then, a meaningful look. Inuyasha had told them not to mention his human time, afraid of eavesdroppers. Miroku had to agree, Naraku seemed to have his ears and eyes everywhere. "I thought we should take another path to head back. It is a bit longer, because it goes in an arc, but I think we should make it back in time. My idea allows us to cover more ground in our search for the Shikon no Tama."

Inuyasha didn't seem convinced. "You sure this road exits? Never heard of it," he asked after he had swallowed the last corn flakes.

Sango answered him, "Yes, it does. It was finished sixteen years ago, so you wouldn't know it. It was built to help merchants reach the otherwise secluded areas."

"Fine, if you say so. Always wanted to see the region, anyway." Inuyasha stood up and looked at his companions. "You finished?"

---------

Kagome put the cleaned dishes back into her rucksack. Inuyasha had been annoying them for the past ten minutes to finish their breakfast. ´_He certainly is back into jerk mode,_´ she thought with a half smile. The day before had been really creepy, and she was partly glad that Inuyasha was back to his usual self, although it wouldn't hurt if he were a bit more tactful about it.

She fixed the rucksack to her bike. In the late time Kagome had greatly reduced the amount of things she carried with her. Many things suddenly weren't that important when you had to carry them all over Japan. Although Inuyasha often helped her, he wasn't her packhorse, as he had pointed out. He wasn't one to refuse to help, but he quickly stopped kind actions if he felt exploited.

"Finished!" she told her friends. While everyone got up to leave, Kagome pushed her bike over to them. "Shippou, you want a ride on my bike again?"

Before the fox could open his mouth, Miroku answered for him. "No, Shippou and myself have something to discuss."

Kagome eyed him, still remembering her interrogation. Was he up to something again?

"Man's business," the monk told her when he noticed the inquiring look.

Kagome decided to push her bike, because nobody, was in a hurry. Except Inuyasha, of course. "Fine. Less work for me."

Miroku tied a sash around his waist and put his new sword by his side. He hoped that he and Sango would look more like a pair this way. And he had something different in mind, too. He hurried after the others who already were ahead of him.

When Inuyasha noticed the sword, he eyed it curiously. "What's with the sword?"

The monk grinned. "Well, this is what I want to talk about with you and Shippou." He slowed his steps, indicating his two friends to fall back with him. "Sango gave it to me yesterday. If you look ahead to Sango you can see that she also has a new sword. She offered me one of the two blades we found yesterday, while you were chatting with Kagome." Miroku waited a bit for the hanyou to tell them something about the mysterious talk, but Inuyasha remained silent. ´_Would have really surprised me..._´ the monk thought and continued, "I wanted to talk with you about Sango. I've thought things over and I want to be more serious about her."

"Oho. Almost unbelievable," Inuyasha commented. "Why the sudden change of mind?"

"That's none of your concern," Miroku shrugged it off easily. "I wanted to ask if you have some tips for me. As you may have noticed ..." he trailed off, searching for the right words. "Sango has been adamant to resist my attempted advances, despite my vast knowledge of women." The monk deliberately ignored the cynical looks of his companions. "So I decided to ask for some help. As you can imagine, my first thought was to ask ..." he paused for effect. Inuyasha and Shippou gave him hopeful looks, both wanting to be first.

"... Kirara." Miroku had to smile at the disbelieving and disappointed expressions on the faces of his companions. "Kirara has known Sango for the longest time," Miroku explained himself. "Although the conversation was a bit difficult, it has been very productive. Kirara offered her help in exchange for my promise to keep my hands to myself. For example, she travels slower if she carries only Sango and myself, to give me more private time with her."

"So that's why Kirara is so friendly with you lately!" Shippou said.

Miroku nodded. "Keep your voice down a bit, I don't want Sango to know. It wouldn't be good for neither me nor Kirara if Sango knew that we are plotting behind her back."

"Fine, so what do you want from _us_?" Inuyasha grumbled.

´_Your advice, and your full attention,_´ Miroku thought with a look to Sango, who he knew was questioning Kagome right now. "As I said before, I hoped that you would have tips? She doesn't seem to believe me when I proclaim my love, so how can I make her understand?"

"You shouldn't ask every pretty woman you see to bear your child," Shippou said.

"You also could help her in battle," Inuyasha told him, thinking functional.

"You can comment her beauty in the presence of other beautiful women," Shippou advised.

"You could fight bad so Sango has to help you. Or get injured while protecting her." Inuyasha seemed very fighting-oriented.

"Is this how you hit on Kagome?" Miroku inquired. Inuyasha's face went red. "I am not! Stupid monk!" With this he jumped forward to where Kagome and Sango walked.

´_I shouldn't have asked this, now he will disturb Sango,_´ Miroku thought. ´_But I just couldn't resist._´ The monk whistled in a suggestive way to get Sango's attention. "Sango, you look really good today!" he shouted loud enough for her to hear.

Sango was just about to ask Kagome once more when she heard a whistle behind her. She looked back to see Inuyasha running up to her. "Sango, you look really good today," she heard Miroku shout. Sango was glad that the monk warned her, if not about his way, and changed to another topic before the hanyou reached them. "When will this pervert ever stop staring at me?"

She hadn't spoken the last word before Inuyasha had reached them. "What are you talking about?" he barked, looking at Kagome.

"Just about how stupid men are," Sango answered his rude question.

Kagome decided to help her friend out. "Yes, but because you are setting such a fine example we really have to question our opinion," she added sarcastically.

"Feh. I don't care about your opinions! Just have to make sure that our nosy Sango isn't being curious again." He saw Sango make an innocent shrug. "I think you are hanging around too much with Miroku lately," he added.

"I am not!" she stated.

"Denying the obvious?" Inuyasha pressed on. Sango turned around and walked back, not answering. Inuyasha didn't let loose. "Running back to Miroku?" he shouted after her.

"No, looking for Shippou." Well, it was a weak excuse, but better than none. Miroku had likely heard the hanyou's last comment too and grinned at her when she reached him. She ignored the monk. "There you are, Shippou. What were you talking about?"

Shippou had a deadly serious look on his face. "Man's business."

"And they tell me _I'm_ hanging around this monk too much," Sango muttered under her breath. Then she spoke up so Miroku and Shippou could hear her. "Before you ask, no, Kagome didn't tell me anything. She just said that it is very important to Inuyasha that she keeps silent."

Shippou sighed, annoyed that even Sango hadn't been able to find out anything.

"So it is not very likely that she will tell us later?" Miroku asked. "Did you try the afraid-of-Inuyasha trick?"

"No, I didn't have enough time to finish asking her," she told them. "And I don't think that the trick would have changed anything. It seems that she has really set her mind on keeping their secret. And the rest of our conversation was", she looked down to Shippou, "woman's business."

Shippou thought for a while. "Maybe I could do the afraid act?" His two companions thought about that. "No", Sango answered. "I'm sure she won't tell anyone. We will have to wait until the riddle solves itself."

---------

It was already early evening, and they had been making way since breakfast. When Kagome had suggested to rest and cock something, Miroku had told her that they would need to go on to reach the village before sunset and that they could eat and rest there.

The forest had gotten more dense since they started in the morning. ´_Must be much work to build a road through this thicket,_´ Kagome thought. The trees had thick trunks, were very tall grown and didn't let much sunlight pass through; it was quite cool and Kagome had put on a cardigan. It had been too warm after a while, though, so she had put it back into her backpack before she started to sweat. ´_No need to catch a cold,_´ she told herself. ´_Especially when Inuyasha is set on hurrying._´

This brought her thoughts back to Inuyasha. The hanyou had kept ahead of them and kept up a swift pace, not participating in any conversation. ´_Possibly he also needs some time to think._´

She had been contemplating Inuyasha's revelation and came to the conclusion that she wouldn't betray his trust in her. He had thought that she would call him stupid and he still feared that Sango or Miroku would laugh at him, his actions when she talked to Sango and Miroku this morning told her as much. She was quite sure that Inuyasha would shut her out completely if she told the pair anything.

She also was amazed how well he hid the gap in his memory. Kagome hadn't had the hint of a suspicion all the time, thinking that Inuyasha just didn't want to talk about his past. The fact that nobody knew of his amnesia also spoke for the hanyou's ability to keep his secrets to himself.

His careless manner could almost be described as a distraction. Whenever there was something concerning his past, he did away with it with a snarl, started a fight with Shippou or behaved childish, diverting their attention to something else. She hoped that she would be able to find out more, now that she knew what to look for.

He must have had quite a nightmare this morning, she was quite sure of that. ´_Inuyasha never screams,_´ she thought when she remembered the terrifying shout Inuyasha had woken up with, completely out of breath. But he had immediately recovered, not allowing a glimpse into something as personal as his dreams.

Suddenly she felt the presence of a Shikon shard. No, it were two! "I can feel two shards near!" she shouted, alarming her friends. "They seem to be just along the road!"

Miroku looked worried. "The village is ahead of us! I hope it isn't under attack."

Inuyasha picked up Kagome, while Sango, Miroku and Shippou waited for Kirara to change form, and then mounted on the cat demon. "Let's go!" the hanyou shouted.

Inuyasha ran a few minutes until he reached the edge of a cliff. He guessed it was almost a hundred meters down. The road went on to the left, making a long way around until it reached the village that was built down there at the cliff, in a glade in the otherwise deep forest. The glade had to be cut out by humans to provide place for the village, it didn't seem natural. "Why do you stupid humans build a village in the middle of nowhere?" he asked in an edgy tone; something about this location unnerved him, although he couldn't put his finger on it.

"The villagers are mining for jade here," Miroku answered. "Since the road was built, it is far easier to export the gems."

Inuyasha tensed at the explanation and looked down to the village again. "Impossible," he muttered, remembering where he knew it from.

Inuyasha was snapped out of his thoughts when Kagome noticed a magpie demon gaining height. "This bird has the shards, one under each wing!" she shouted. Inuyasha dropped her off while the others got off Kirara and got ready for battle.

"Yes, and I will take your glittering pieces, too!" the bird grated.

Kagome didn't wait for a first strike and shot an arrow at the hostile giant bird, but the youkai dodged with a quick change of direction.

Sango threw Hiraikotsu, but the giant bird evaded it, too. She caught her boomerang when it returned without doing harm.

"The shards must have improved its mobility!" Miroku shouted, causing the magpie youkai to turn his attention to the monk. With a huge flap of his wings the demon created a strong current of air which threw the monk backwards.

Miroku avoided being hurt when he hit the ground by reducing the impact with both arms, then did a roll backwards, pushing himself up to his feet. Still, he had the air pushed out of his lungs, so that and the still heavy impact left him a bit dazed.

Sango threw Hiraikotsu again, hoping that her opponent was distracted, but with another wave of his wings the bird youkai stopped the giant boomerang, forcing it to fall down. Sango was glad that Hiraikotsu would endure the resulting impact of the long fall, but now she was without a real weapon; she wouldn't be able to reach the bird with a sword. "Not only the mobility is improved, the strength of its wings seems multiplied. Hiraikotsu isn't easy to divert from its path," she warned her comrades.

Kirara, the only member of Inuyasha's group capable of flying, tried to engage in close combat, but the air was the enemy's natural element and, powered up by the Shikon shards, he didn't let the cat demon near. After a few failed attempts and closely avoided attacks Kirara returned to Sango to at least guard her from a fate like Miroku's.

The bird youkai noticed Shippou and launched an air wave at the kid. Inuyasha anticipated the attack and managed to get the fox child out of harm's way in time. The hanyou carried his burden to Miroku, dropped him there and headed straight back to the fight.

Kagome saw a very large Jade gem in the claw of the bird. "It must have stolen the gem in its claw from the village."

"Figures that it's not only stealing Shikon shards!" Inuyasha shouted and launched a Kaze no Kizu into the air, but the bird managed to dodge even Tetsusaiga's special attack.

"Hehehe," the youkai laughed as he landed some distance away from them. "Hand the shards over peacefully and I might think of not crushing you with my wings," he threatened Kagome.

Kagome didn't even contemplate his offer and shot another arrow instead. The magpie demon waved with his wing again to stop the arrow like the boomerang, but it was only thrown a bit off course and still pierced through his wing, leaving a big hole because of Kagome's added magic. To her dismay the wound started to close right after it was inflicted. ´_The shards have to be big. They are strengthening him a lot..._´ she thought when she saw that the wing would be regenerated in less than a minute at the current rate.

The pain seemed to make the youkai mad and he looked at her with murder in his eyes. Kagome stepped backwards, but noticed that she had retreated to the edge of the cliff after a few steps. ´_Not good..._´

"Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted. "Do something useful instead of enjoying the sight! Try to hinder it with your hand!"

Miroku, still a bit out of breath, unsealed his hand while stretching it away into the direction of the enemy. "_Kazaana_!" he shouted as a warning to his friends.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and immediately launched himself at the bird, having to fight against the pull of the Air Void because he was standing in the path. After he had dropped Shippou he had gone straight for the youkai, staying between Miroku and the giant bird. Still, Inuyasha was able to go against the pull because Miroku was some distance away.

The bird demon was not so lucky, because his legs weren't made to support him against such forces and only one fit wing wasn't doing him much good against the flow of air. The youkai pulled back the fit wing to launch a last attack at Kagome.

´_No!_´ Inuyasha thought and jumped, colliding with the youkai's chest, and pushed both his enemy and himself over the edge of the cliff.

---------

Kagome, still standing at the edge, looked after him and saw Inuyasha push Tetsusaiga into the bird's chest up to the hilt in free fall. The youkai let out a long shriek when the sword pierced the lungs. The cry of the giant bird died away because of the fall and the youkai's inablility to breathe. Kagome flinched when they hit the ground and the shriek ended abruptly.

Panicked, she ran back to Kirara and jumped onto the cat youkai, joining the others who had already gotten on the cat youkai's back. Kirara went after Inuyasha as fast as she could without dropping anyone.

"_Inuyasha_!" Kagome cried, tears beginning to form. "Inuyasha, NO!" She could only make out a red spot down there, seeing no details because of her watery eyes. Her breathing got uneven and she started to shake.

"Relax, Kagome, Inuyasha seems alive!" Sango tried to comfort her friend. Kagome wiped the tears away and took another look. Having almost reached the ground, Kagome could see that Inuyasha stood with his back towards them, some villagers being ahead of him in a half circle. As soon as Kirara touched the ground the girl jumped off and ran for Inuyasha. She gave him a hug around the neck from behind as soon as she reached him, almost throwing him and herself over. "Inuyasha! Don't do that again! Don't do that _ever_ again!"

"Ah, wench, leave me alone!" Inuyasha growled and broke her grip with one hand, not taking his eyes off the villagers. His other hand stayed at the hilt of Tetsusaiga, which he had pulled out of the bird youkai's corpse, and continued to hold the sword in front of him.

Offended, Kagome looked up, but was distracted from scolding Inuyasha when she noticed that the people looked more ready for battle than relieved, armed with everything from katanas to pitchforks.

"They cannot be trusted," Inuyasha told the girl.

"Ha," a villager shouted, pointing his sword at the hanyou, "look who's talking!"

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was backed up by all his friends. Miroku tried to defuse the situation. "We mean you no harm. We merely came in search for a place to eat and rest when we encountered this youkai." He pointed at the corpse, which was lying on the back and had blood dripping out of its beak, forming a small pool.

Suddenly, the villagers parted and made way for an old man. "Put away the weapons, we don't turn away help when it is selflessly offered," the elder ordered. His people gave in, reluctantly following the command of the town elder and putting away their weapons.

Meanwhile, the old man walked over to the dead youkai to retrieve the gem. "This is one of the biggest gems we ever found. It's worth enough to provide food for the whole village for two months," he said and held the gem up against the sun, eyeing it for damage.

´_He seems cranky,_´ Inuyasha thought, watching the man.

The elder turned towards their saviors. "Please excuse our rude behavior, but you have to understand that this village has had its share of problems with youkai in the last months. I am Jiro," he introduced himself. "Please accept my invitation to repay you for your kindness."

Miroku bowed. "Your apology is gladly accepted."

Inuyasha gave the villagers an untrusting glare, but sheathed Tetsusaiga nonetheless. "Inuyasha," he introduced himself shortly.

Kagome was glad that she didn't have to argue with the stubborn hanyou. "I'm Kagome, and these are my friends Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara." The said people bowed when they were introduced, the now retransformed cat demon made a meow.

Sango went to retrieve Hiraikotsu, which luckily hadn't crushed any of the villagers. She eyed it critically, but it didn't seem damaged. Then she walked over to the dead youkai to retrieve the shards. _'Looks like the back is broken,'_ she thought, judging the corpse with a trained eye. Like Kagome had said, she found a piece of the Shikon no Tama under each wing. She walked back to the miko and gave them to her.

"Could we please have a meal somewhere?" Kagome asked after putting away the Shikon shards, hoping to get something to eat before her stomach started to growl. "We have been traveling all day and killing the youkai wasn't exactly relaxing, either."

"Of course," Jiro answered. "I own the inn of our village, and you can eat and spend the night there."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome. "What would you be hungry from? You left all the hard work to me." When he noticed Kagome's suddenly annoyed look he thought it would have been better not to attract her attention.

"What was the big idea behind jumping down the cliff?" Kagome furiously asked him.

"Trying to save your ass?" Inuyasha shot back. "If I hadn't jumped in, the bastard would have blown _you_ over the edge!"

Kagome was silent. He always risked his life to safe hers. She wasn't ungrateful, instead constantly being saved without returning the favor too often made her feel guilty. Sure, this time she had wounded the enemy, but it had been Inuyasha again who had finished the work. And here she was, shouting at him for saving her.

Inuyasha got angry at her silence. "It wouldn't break a stone out of your crown to be a bit thankful instead of accusing me!"

"I am thankful!" Kagome shouted back. "I was worried for you!" She calmed down a bit. "I thought you were ... dead," she said almost inaudible for anyone but Inuyasha.

"Feh. You think a stupid bird could kill me?" the hanyou said with a voice that sounded something between appeased and insulted. "You won't see the day I become bird food."

"How did you make it? Even you would be seriously hurt from a fall off a cliff that high," Kagome wanted to know.

"I clawed onto the youkai and _encouraged_ the bastard to turn around onto his back during the fall, so while he broke his back, I got a safe landing on his stomach. Worked really fine!" Inuyasha beamed with pride for his fine plan.

"One day I'm going to kill you myself..." Kagome muttered. She had almost died of a heart attack because of his 'plan'.

"Feh. Like you could."

"Want me to try?" she shot back, not in the mood to be pushed around.

´_If she didn't have that goddamn word..._´ Inuyasha thought. He was in a lose/lose situation. Giving in would damage his reputation, and opposing her would earn him a sit, what too wouldn't look good in front of all the villagers. Either way, his pride would suffer. But then he remembered the third way: When having to choose between two bad options, think of another one.

Ignoring her should work best. "Another day," he said and turned to the town elder. "Jiji, you mentioned something about food?"

---------

Jiro had led them to a rather large house which seemed to be the inn. When they entered, the old man gestured them to take a place. They kneeled down forming the shape of a rectangle, Kagome and Inuyasha on one side, to their left Miroku and Sango, to their right Shippou and Kirara. Across the hanyou and the miko, the old man took place with a woman who seemed to be his wife. She too looked like she had reached quite an age. "I'm pleased to introduce you my wife, Aiko."

Aiko bowed to her husband's visitors. "We aren't having anything special today, but please feel free to eat as much as you like," the woman told them. A servant arrived, offering them various vegetarian food. Inuyasha sighed inwardly. ´_No meat today. What is it with these stupid humans?_´ Aiko followed the servant afterwards, leaving her husband with Inuyasha and his group.

They were all very hungry from the straining day, so they ate fast and in silence until the greatest hunger was appeased. Still, everyone except Inuyasha tried to eat as dignified as possible when confronted with so many delicious fruits and vegetables. The old man chuckled when he saw how his white-haired guest almost devoured the food.

"You seem to starve your demonic follower," he told his visitors.

"Oh no," Kagome commented sarcastically, "he always eats this way."

"Damn right!" Inuyasha agreed. "I don't sit around looking at food instead of eating it." He never understood why he should hold back while eating; it didn't serve any purpose at all. And if the others did... well, the more food was left for him.

"Perhaps you should teach your servant some manners," the old man advised them.

Inuyasha almost choked on his food. "I'm nobody's servant. Better get that in that old head of yours!" he threatened.

"Inuyasha, no need to get angry," Kagome calmed him down. "But he is right, Jiro-san - Inuyasha is nobody's servant."

The old man looked a bit surprised. "Then why does he have the prayer beads around his neck? I know what they're good for."

"Ummm, long story..." Kagome trailed of. Neither she nor Inuyasha looked too comfortable.

"We are a group of friends forged together by a common goal," Miroku explained.

"And Inuyasha wouldn't serve anybody even with these beads around his neck," Shippou cut in.

"I see," the old man stated. "Well, the youth indeed seems to have a strong spirit."

"Finally you get it, Jiji!"

"You said that you have problems with youkai?" Sango asked. As a youkai hunter she thought that she might be able to help them, or at least offer some advice. Although she was occupied with hunting Naraku, she still tried to help other people as much as possible.

"Yes, because of the jade mine. Youkai and humans alike seek the gems as jewelry as well as for its mythical properties. Jade is said to help one relax. It is considered a very balanced stone - it helps one in both the vision of tasks to do as well as doing the actual tasks," the old man explained wisely.

´_He sounds a bit like an advertisement on TV,_´ Kagome thought, but didn't interrupt the old man.

"Because of the fine quality of the gems found here," Jiro continued, "thefts are attempted quite often. Therefore, our people are well capable of defending the village, but the magpie you defeated today somehow was stronger than any other we ever encountered. Thank you again for helping us."

"It is no problem, Jiro-san. We were passing by anyway, and your kind invitation is thanks enough to us poor wanderers," Miroku said humbly. "But may I ask why your people were so hostile in the beginning?"

"Well, the real reason the people here are not very trusting in supernatural things is that the village was completely destroyed some decades ago."

Inuyasha looked up from his food, but didn't say anything. Kagome seemed shocked and voiced her concern. "That is awful! What happened?"

"It is said to have happened almost sixty years ago. It's said to have been a full moon night without a single cloud in the sky. Usually, those nights are peaceful, because of the light it is harder for anyone to stalk into the village. But said night, a beast attacked the village, and it didn't care for secrecy nor disguise," the old man paused for effect – obviously, he had some practice in telling the tale. Inuyasha yawned, feigning disinterest.

"There had been some youkai raids before, so the village's defenses were weak. Seibunishi, a strong youkai who had offered his formal protection to this village in exchange for some gems, had died some years before, and youkai attacked the village every once in a while," Jiro explained.

Inuyasha flinched slightly and fisted his hand, but relaxed it after a moment. ´_Did they notice?_´ he wondered.

Jiro continued his tale, "Anyway, that night the village was not attacked by a youkai, but a werewolf. It is said that the beast only had one eye. It slaughtered everyone except some of the children and a few adults, who could be counted on one hand. It is sure that it wasn't a wolf demon because it was full moon, and the werewolf didn't say one meaningful word. The survivors told that it just methodically massacred the villagers, unlike a youkai who would enjoy the slaughter."

Sango looked like she was thinking about something.

"So werewolves do exist?" Kagome asked a bit frightened. She had seen some horror movies about them that had been really scary. She remembered she had seen a horror comedy about a werewolf as a child, and had had difficulties with falling asleep for weeks, although the film had been more comedy than horror.

"Yes," Miroku answered her. "They were humans, but have been cursed with lycanthropy. I think the curse is transferred if one is bitten by a werewolf. Their hearing and sense of smell gets a bit better, their reflexes faster and their muscles stronger, they age slower and can live for more than a hundred years, but they remain almost human most of the time."

Then he explained the most well known fact about werewolves, "At full moon, when they change into a wolf-human hybrid, they become a very dangerous foe, with the strength of a beast and the cunning of a human, and are completely lost to bloodlust."

"But they are very rare, because youkai can sense the curse and kill them on sight," Miroku continued to tell them what he knew about werewolves. "A transformed werewolf is a fair match even for a strong youkai, so the cursed human will usually be killed in human form."

"Well, we are sure that this werewolf never was killed," Jiro explained. "The villagers which could miraculously escape fled the village and hired a very good youkai exterminator to avenge the deaths of their beloved. The hunter never returned, neither has ever been heard of a youkai killing the beast. They like to boast with their accomplishment when doing so."

"I know," Sango interrupted. "It was my great grandfather who was called upon." She had waited for Jiro to confirm her suspicion, but now she was sure. Her grandfather had often told her of his own father, who had mysteriously vanished when hunting for a werewolf who had slaughtered a whole village.

"He was one of the strongest taijiya who ever lived in our village. I heard that he had had the rare gift of fighting two handed, able to use his hands for two different tasks at the same time. My grandfather told me that no corpse was ever discovered, but it was almost sure that his father had been killed." She still remembered how sad her grandfather had looked when he told her he would never know how his father had died. He had been quite young when his father left forever.

"So you are his great granddaughter? The world is small for sure..." Jiro muttered surprised. "Well, when the hunter never returned, the survivors refused to ever set foot on this ground again. It is said that a werewolf will always return after some time. This village was left destroyed for five years until some brave men tried their luck with the mine. When nothing bad happened, soon people who had nothing left in their lives, who were poor or searched for began to settle here again."

"But the fear that the beast could return remains," Jiro finished. "The tale is refusing to become but a myth; if you could find that creature, Sango-san, our village would pay you dearly. Not that I want to send you to your death, too, but I would offer you the gem you saved today if you ever brought us the head of this beast."

Sango nodded. "You can be sure that I will avenge my great grandfather should I ever cross paths with this werewolf. But I have a more important mission at the time, so it would be pure chance should I run across it. And we've heard no rumors during our travels."

Silence followed and Kagome couldn't suppress a yawn. "I'm sorry, but I will go to sleep." The others nodded, agreeing with her.

When Sango wanted to stand up, she noticed Miroku's extended hand. She accepted his hand and wondered why he didn't try to touch her anywhere else. He hadn't tried to do so for a long time - especially for him.

The group was shown two rooms, one for the guys, one for the girls. They parted for their rooms after telling each other good night.

Kagome unfolded her sleeping back and fell into it like dead. "I hope tomorrow is more relaxing..." she heard Sango mutter. ´_Too true,_´ the miko thought.

"Sango, I'm sorry for your great grandfather," Kagome told her friend. "I just couldn't suppress the yawn."

"It's okay, Kagome, I never knew him anyway. It's just that grandfather was sometimes very sad thinking of his father. You don't know this fact, but I inherited Hiraikotsu from my grandfather. I think I finally got a chance to repay him. Maybe I can find some clues in the nearby villages." Sango almost seemed happy to finally have found a first hint.

Kagome nodded. "But if you find the werewolf, please don't try anything on your own."

"It's my duty, Kagome. I can't duck behind others in this matter!"

The miko nodded again. "That's true, Sango. But that doesn't mean that you can't accept some help. Your great grandfather possibly died _because_ he tried alone. I don't think that he wants to be avenged at the price of your life."

Sango thought about that. "You are right, Kagome, risking my life won't bring back the dead. I promise you I won't do anything rushed."

"I'm relieved," Kagome said. "Good night, Sango."

"Good night to you, too."

---------

In the other room, Miroku was already asleep, also exhausted from the straining day. This left the youkai and the half-youkai as the only awake members of their group.

Inuyasha sat with the back against the wall, brooding in the dark. ´_That I would run across this one out of all villages..._´ He had hoped to never set foot into the village again.

The good thing was to hear that the village had been burned down and that the father of Sango's grandfather had been killed in the process. ´_This will hopefully take Sango's mind away from questioning Kagome,_´ Inuyasha thought practically. The story of her relative's death couldn't have hit the youkai exterminator too hard, after all she hadn't known her great grandfather.

As usual with strange coincidences that had a connection to his past, part of his mind was trying to establish a connection. But as much as he thought about it, he couldn't come up with anything that indicated that the massacre was in any way related to him. ´_Not that I would remember if I was._´ He also didn't feel unhappy about the fact that the village had been destroyed. Because of that, nobody knew him, because the old villagers were either dead or scared away.

"Inuyasha, I want to sleep with Kagome!" Shippou snapped him out of his musings.

"Shut up, brat," Inuyasha said. "Kagome needs to rest and she can't if you are annoying her."

"And I can't rest when I'm not annoying her," the fox child responded. "I mean, when she isn't sleeping near me."

Inuyasha smirked. "I don't care if you can sleep or not."

"But you care if Kagome can?" Shippou asked. He wouldn't tell, but he really hoped that the hanyou finally realized that Kagome was much more important than a resurrected priestess. He didn't want his new-found family to break apart because Inuyasha still felt committed to Kikyou. Kagome had been near leaving forever when Inuyasha had kissed the undead priestess.

"Keh! Just shut up and go to sleep." Inuyasha was too tired to bonk the fox on the head, and he also didn't want to wake up Miroku. He was about to doze off when Shippou spoke up again. "Inuyasha?"

"What is it now, brat?" the hanyou asked irritated.

"I wanted to ... thank you," the child brought out at last.

"What for?" Inuyasha asked into the dark.

"For saving my live, again. I never really thanked you before. And I thought today might be a good day to start," Shippou told him, then was quiet for some time. "And I'm also glad that you want to train me," he admitted finally. "It's very important for me."

"No problem, Shippou. Just sleep now." Inuyasha felt strangely sympathetic. Maybe he should really train the child? Shippou had no one else who could teach him. _'But me, a teacher? What a joke...'_

_

* * *

_

This is it! Sorry that I didn't update earlier, but this chapter took quite some time to write (it's long, I hope you appreciate that :) ). And I didn't have too much time to work on the fic this days, with New Year's Eve and everything. Happy New Year, everybody!

I hope the magpie youkai made some sense; I researched and found out that magpies do exist in Japan. I thought a flying opponent would be more interesting, and it also fit into the mining village.

There exist two different kinds of Jade, one is more common and is very widespread in China (Nephrite Jade, only green). The Jade I'm talking about here is the more expensive one, Jadeite, which comes in many different colors.

I got the name for Inuyasha's dad from Becky Tailwaver, to pay respect to her wonderful fic "The White Dog" (I'm also lazy when it comes to inventing names). Don't worry, I won't copy the character, instead I hope she will give us more of her own work soon (Maybe she reads that one day and spontaneously decides to continue her fic crosses fingers)

I will move the vocabulary to the first chapter, to eliminate problems with chapter overwriting and reviews of the vocabulary instead of the last chapter.   
(It's my first fic, I have to try around a bit :) )

**January 3rd, 2003**: Chapter 4 finished.

**November 16th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5a: Oceanbound

**Settle the Score**   
_by Chri_

**Author rantings: **   
Hi there everybody. With this chapter I made it over the 20.000 words mark! I'm actually quite pleased with myself, I think it's a turning point for a fic to get that far. There are currently 3.724 Inuyasha fics on , but only 223 with over 20.000 words. That's only six percent!

**Reviews revisited: **

_Anonymous 1_ - It would be really cool if you could type in something, even asdfkjlö, as name. When there start to be more than just one anonymous review, you are hard to keep apart :)

_Nuklear Firefly_ - Thanks for the praise! The "SO" and the "genius" means much to me! I like the "terrific writer" too! ;)

_tamababymiko-chan_ - Thanks for the review. Your question concerning the werewolf is answered at the beginning of this chapter. I needed something to not let anybody know Inuyasha, and it also will play a part for Sango.

_Anonymous 2_ - I hope that I don't make Inuyasha seem wimpy, but he is a human being and as such feeling things. I hope I get him believable.

_Admiral Biatch_ - Thanks for the review. I know what it is like to start a story, it's sucking away all your time... I can't give you any other advice than what's standing in the rantings, as this is my first fic, too. Plan ahead, make notes :)   
Tell me when your story comes out, as I like your favorites list, you seem to like long stories, just like me.

_kAoMi_ - Keep writing things like "Awesome", I like that :)

_Anime-05_ - Here's the new chapter, sooner wasn't possible... I don't think Inuyasha would like to hear that he is kawaii :)

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - You have the first and the last review of my fic at this point :) I'm glad you are being faithful to this fic.   
Your reviews are getting weirder and weirder! I like that, keep it up!! I don't get the thing with the ice breath, but I guess it's an insider joke... And who the fuck is Alara? :)

**Disclaimer : **   
IY is not mine, but at least I have 2 living characters now : Jiro and Aiko. Not that they would be important.   
The title epigraph is from _Threshold._

**Special thanks to :**   
_Kat Morning_ for her awesome beta skills. I guess you're used to writing _ comma _ by now... Thanks for putting up with me!

* * *

**Chapter 5a**

_Every time I try to climb a mountain   
All I find are steeper ones ahead _

**_Oceanbound_ – Part 1**

Inuyasha woke up, hearing footsteps coming nearer. He was awake in a moment and turned his right ear to the source, listening to the sound. Somebody stalked him, trying to move without making sounds. Adrenaline rushed through his body, but he resisted the urge to jump up and face the threat. Instead he breathed in deep and even, completely at odds with the tact his heart was racing, leaving his attacker with the impression he was still sleeping. His nose then identified the person trying to stalk him: Kagome.

He opened one eye just a bit, very slowly so she wouldn't notice. Inuyasha peered through the slit to see what she intended to do. She wasn't carrying anything, so she most likely wanted to scare him awake. When she stood next to him, she sat down beside him and moved her head next to his ear. Inuyasha closed the eye again, so she wouldn't notice that he observed her, and prepared himself for the inevitable.

"Good MOOOOORNING!" Kagome yelled into his ear. ´_If she screamed any louder, the gems in this village would have shattered_´, Inuyasha thought when he noticed the ringing sound in his ears. Still, he had not moved, keeping up the facade. His ears were back to normal after a few seconds, and he could make out Kagome asking an uncertain "Inuyasha?"

From the sound of it, she stood away some distance from him. _'She must have moved out of my reach after trying to break my eardrum.'_

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" he heard her ask again. He had to suppress a smile at the worry and confusion in her voice. He exhaled slowly, waited for some time and then inhaled. ´_Come on Kagome, this is getting boring..._´ he thought when he exhaled again after a while.

When he heard Kagome kneel down, he prepared himself, tensing the stomach muscles and inhaling very deep. He hoped that she would scare her ass off. "Inuyasha?!?" he heard her again, this time almost desperate. He liked it when she was scared for him. Then she reached down for him. The moment she wanted to shake him, Inuyasha bolted upright, growling the most menacing growl he was capable of when he felt more like laughing his head off.

"AAAAH!" Kagome screamed, shocked more from the sudden awakening than fear of Inuyasha.

"Kagome, you are not supposed to be afraid yourself when you want to scare others awake," Inuyasha laughed at her.

"Inuyasha, you almost gave me a heart attack," Kagome told him somewhat angered. Her fine plan of repaying the hanyou for all the times he had woken her up was foiled by his supernatural senses. She hadn't believed that it would work, and had been really surprised when she had made it next to his ear. But when the hanyou didn't wake up, she had gotten unsure and finally concerned. And that was what she got for it.

"And what were _you_ trying to do?" he asked her with an accusing, yet amused tone. "I don't think that shouting in my ear was intended to calm me down. Why did you want to scare me awake, anyway?"

"Well, maybe I was trying to get my revenge for all the times you woke me up almost before sunrise? And, everyone has been up for two hours, so you have been the only one still asleep." She looked at him, finding that he still looked a bit tired. She hoped that he hadn't been healing a wound from the fall. The only times when he had been lying down longer than the rest of them was when he had a hole through his stomach or something like that. "You are usually the first one up, why were you still sleeping?"

Inuyasha had an excuse in a split second, not wanting to seem weak. She wasn't wrong, he didn't need as much rest as the rest of the group, but sleeping here, in this village, was just a _tad_ unnerving. The knowledge that there might be a werewolf stalking around didn't help to calm him, either, although it was unlikely that the creature would resurface now after more than fifty years. He hadn't slept well, awaking often but not able to grasp what he was dreaming, although it most likely had to do with his parents and his childhood. Still, nobody needed to know that he had once lived in this village. "Shippou kept bugging me. I didn't get much sleep, and when he left with Miroku in the morning, I finally had the opportunity to rest a bit."

Kagome looked at him, wondering if he was telling the truth. She finally settled for an unbelieving look. She couldn't remember that he would have ever been disturbed in his sleep by any of them. "Really? Then, why have you never complained until now?"

"What do you think is the reason I sleep up in trees all the time? Because I don't want to stay awake hearing you snore," the hanyou insulted her. He wasn't telling her that lying up there actually _increased_ his hearing range, or that he slept better because he was a lot harder to reach. As long as nothing invaded into a certain range, he didn't wake him up unless he couldn't place a sound or smell.

"I don't snore!" Kagome insisted, but immediately regretted falling for his trap. At least from now on she would be aware when he tried to distract her.

"I'll go to eat breakfast now," Inuyasha told her, ignoring her statement. "Do they only have damned vegetables again?" he asked, remembering last evening's meal. ´_I'll go hunting if I had to eat only rice again, fuck Miroku._´ What good was this Buddhist ban – didn't even animals eat animals as well? The only reason not to leave for the forest was that he was feeling quite relaxed now, and he usually hunted when he wanted to vent his anger.

Kagome made a face. "They were good enough yesterday..."

"Well, I never could be picky when it comes to food," Inuyasha told her. He stood up, offering Kagome a hand. "I eat what I get, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Now come on, we don't want to keep Miroku and Sango waiting. If it eases your mind, Shippou is a much louder sleeper than you."

Kagome accepted his hand. He pulled her up quickly, his impatience getting the better of him. He couldn't wait to get out of this village. Now that he had brushed off her curiosity, all that was left was eating breakfast and being on the way again.

"I don't snore," Kagome stubbornly insisted.

"How would you know?" Inuyasha questioned with a smirk.

"Even _if_ I did, it would not be polite to rub it under my nose!" Kagome argued back.

"So you are admitting you snore?" he asked, making fun of her. Maybe, he thought, he was catching up for all the years he had lived without a friend to tease.

"No!" Kagome shouted. ´_He's doing it on purpose. He is trying to drive me insane..._´ she thought, glaring at her hanyou. Why did most of their conversations end with Inuyasha insulting her? This was what she enjoyed about going to school, the guys in her class would never be as rude as him; it was almost like holiday from insults. "Why can't you be more like the boys from my time?" she complained.

She realized her error when she saw Inuyasha turn around. "Fine, why don't you just go to the fucking boys of your time?"

Kagome wanted to explain but her friend already walked to the main room of the inn. "Inuyasha, wait!" she shouted, running after him.

"Or you'll do what, sit me?" Inuyasha asked her in an uncaring voice that made her cringe. He hadn't even bothered to turn around. They arrived at the lounge where Shippou sat in front of the breakfast that was set out on the floor, chewing on something to kill the time. "Morning, brat," Inuyasha grunted.

´_He's not in a good mood today_´, Shippou thought and made a mental note not to anger the hanyou. Kirara, who was lying in the corner of the room next to Hiraikotsu, also gave Inuyasha a wary look.

Kagome watched the hanyou sit down and stuff a whole rice ball into his mouth. He looked intently at the breakfast, as though pondering what to take next, showing that he didn't want to be disturbed. Despite that, she still had to clarify things. "Inuyasha. Now will you listen to -"

Inuyasha stood up abruptly, interrupting her. "Nobody can eat this vegetarian shit. I'll go get my own breakfast," he growled and went for the door. He was gone before Kagome could think of something to say.

Shippou looked after him. "What's wrong with him today?" he asked, the most childish innocence he could make up in his voice.

Kagome looked a bit uneasy. "Nothing important, I just phrased what I wanted to say in the wrong words. Where are Miroku and Sango?" she asked instead of really answering the question. She would rather discuss the subject with Sango.

"They went on a trip through the village. Sango said that they were going to restock our supplies."

Kagome stood up. "Let's search for them..."

´_I'm an idiot. Crap!_´ she swore mentally.

---------

Miroku took the hand of the girl into his. She looked nice, with a slim figure, but not too thin. "Fair lady, I have a favor to ask of you."

Sango rolled her eyes. How could she have thought that he had changed, just because he hadn't tried to grope her the last few days? _'Maybe he has just given up on me?'_ The thought made her angry.

"My friend and myself are in search for a place to get supplies, and if you would be kind enough to tell us where to buy food, we would be most thankful," the monk asked. The woman giggled at the overpolite question and told him the way. Miroku noticed that the merchant was close to the cliff, probably the workers preferred to buy their food from there - mining was hard work. The monk bowed in return. "May Buddha's blessings be upon you, beautiful lady!"

Sango was speechless. She remembered to shut her mouth before Miroku could notice, hoping that he hadn't already. The monk was behaving very unusual. He had not only just asked after the way, but called her his friend, too. He had always ignored her, and the rest of the group, too, when he was about to ask his question. She noticed that Miroku was already walking along the way the woman had described to him. Sango jogged a few meters to catch up with him.

Miroku looked at Sango out of the corner of his eye. His actions were affecting her, just in which way? In that moment she just looked plain confused. "My dear Sango, I hope you are not feeling ill?" he commented her silence.

"Ill? I? Oh no. I just ..." She fell silent to think of a meaningful sentence and settled for confronting Miroku. "About the woman you talked to, she seemed beautiful enough to meet your standards. Why didn't you ask her to bear your child?"

Miroku had to suppress a grin. It looked like it affected her, at least he hoped that it did and it wasn't just curiosity. But then, why would she look angry every time he asked a girl to bear his child? He decided to evade her question for now. "Do you want me to ask her?"

"No, of course not," Sango answered quickly. It wasn't as if she didn't like the change, so she didn't want Miroku to fall back to his 'normal' self. ´_Old habits die hard,_´ she thought, and made a mental note not to sound like she was criticizing the change. "I just wondered why you are behaving so unusual lately. You haven't even tried to touch me the last few days."

Miroku had to smirk and looked around if Kirara was near. "If I had known you liked that..." he said, sliding his hand down her back. He forced himself at the last moment to stop at her waist, remembering Shippou's advice, and instead of sliding further down he put his arm around her. ´_Kirara owes me for that,_´ he thought with a twisted smile, liking the feeling of her being beside him, too.

Sango almost froze in her step when she noticed that he didn't grope her again. Before, she had been very angry when she saw Miroku grasping the girl's hand, after he hadn't tried to touch her for days. At least the groping told her that Miroku found her attractive too, not that she wouldn't have preferred another way of assurance. ´_Like putting his arm around my waist,_´ she thought, liking the feel.

Miroku had half expected a slap, or at least to be pushed away. Instead, she had gone silent, but seemed to accept his gesture. He decided not to ask her if she liked it, so the comfortable silence would not change to an uncomfortable argument, in case she got embarrassed.

When they arrived, Miroku let go of Sango to talk to the merchant. "Good morning. We would like to buy some supplies." He looked down at the list that Shippou, Sango and he had made this morning. "We want to buy rice, bamboo shoots, sushi, and some sake." He ordered the last item for himself, having some things on his mind with it.

The merchant gave them a distrusting look and named the price he wanted for the goods. That snapped Sango out of her daydreams. "What? That's usury! That's five times the price everything is worth."

"That's the deal I offer. You won't get a better one around here," he answered without turning an eyelid.

"Wait for me!" Sango suddenly heard Kagome shout before she could give the merchant a piece of her mind. She turned towards the direction of the shout and saw the miko coming her way with Shippou. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello again, Kagome-sama," Miroku greeted her when she finally caught up. "It looks like you could have stayed at the inn, this merchant here doesn't look like he wants to sell us his goods."

"Why not?" Kagome asked the merchant, turning towards him. She noticed that the merchant gave Shippou a death glare.

"Pah. Take your fucking youkai and leave!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the fox demon.

"What has that to do with Shippou?" Kagome asked furiously. Sango grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away. "I have seen people like him a few times, Kagome. People who have developed a great dislike for youkai in general, for whatever reasons. He won't trade with youkai 'friends'."

"But Shippou hasn't done anything wrong!" Kagome complained.

Sango nodded. "That's true, Kagome, but he won't believe it or it won't interest him."

"So, where is Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, changing the topic.

Kagome looked towards the wood. "He has gone hunting," she said somewhat guilty.

Sango was surprised. "Why? There was enough breakfast left to satisfy even him."

Miroku shook his head. "He probably lusted after meat again." He was an open-minded monk, but he didn't agree with eating animals. They could, after all, be the reincarnation of your relatives. Kagome seemed to agree with the hanyou, which had surprised him very much in the beginning. The youkai of their group also had no problem with eating flesh, of course.

"Well, that may be true, but to vent his anger was his greatest reason, I think," Shippou blurted out.

---------

Inuyasha moved through the forest. He wasn't running, but going as fast as he could without making sounds. Going against the wind, he would catch the scent of whatever was in front of him easier, while his prey would have an even harder time noticing him.

What Kagome had said stung, especially after he had relaxed that much around her. It was good that he always reacted the same way on these things: anger. He had left the hut hunting before he said something that he would regret later.

He had decided to really go hunting when he was out of the village. Hunting always was the best way for him to cool down, and it even helped him to think about things.

´_Why can't you be more like the boys from my time?_´ Inuyasha remembered what Kagome had said. The guys in her time probably were nice, rich, good-looking _humans_, sucking up to Kagome. ´_Why do you have to be a hanyou? Why can't you be human?_´ the Kagome in his mind continued.

He was used to being excluded because of his lineage, but he had grown to believe that his friends were different. He had grown to believe that he finally had found something akin to family, people who accepted him unconditionally. ´_Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?_´ Hearing that from especially Kagome was his wake-up call to reality.

Suddenly, Inuyasha caught the scent of a deer. Absentmindedly, he approached his prey without making any sound at all.

The worst thing was, he couldn't even be angry with Kagome. What did he have to offer, even if you ignored the fact that he was only half human?

He saw the deer feeding, still not knowing of the danger it was in. Inuyasha jumped at his prey, tearing out the throat with his claws. To spare the animal a painful death, he broke its neck immediately.

He hung the deer up at the legs with his red haori at a tree. Having to wait till all the blood left the dead animal, he sat down against the tree and continued to brood about Kagome.

Inuyasha's thoughts turned back to what he could offer. What she wanted had to be a boy with an education, a good job, estates, with friends, family. What could he really offer her, besides a fucking deer he caught in the forest?

He never had gotten much education. School seemed to be very important in her age, judging from how often she left for those 'tests'. All he did know was how to read, write and some very basic math, and even that he had mostly forgotten. Compared to the things he had seen in her mathematics book, it was nothing. The first time he had seen it, he had confused it with a spell book.

Miroku, Sango and Shippou were the persons that came nearest to being his friends - hell, they even were - but they were her friends first. And Sesshoumaru could hardly be counted as family. The bastard wouldn't invite them to his birthday, but rather rip their heads off. The time Sesshoumaru had stopped his rampage and spared his life, his full youkai brother had announced to kill him later, and Inuyasha took the threat seriously. So, no luck on that front, either.

The only thing he thought he was doing quite well was his job. Kagome hadn't been really hurt, although she was always quite reckless. But what would happen once the Shikon no Tama was completed? Then his job would be finished, and he would no longer be needed. _'That's all I'm currently doing, killing any threat to Kagome's life.'_ Almost like a real dog protecting its master.

´_Disgusting,_´ Sesshoumaru commented in his mind.

But there was nothing else he had ever learned to do. When the jewel was finally completed, Sango and Miroku would probably come together - if the monk ever stopped being a lech - and maybe even take in Shippou. Kagome would go back to her time. No Shikon no Tama, no monsters trying to get through the well. She would finally have time for her education again.

Maybe she would even offer him the jewel to change. But it wasn't something he _wanted_. He didn't want to change. Sesshoumaru wanted him to be youkai, Kikyou wanted him to become human, and Kagome had obviously joined sides with Kikyou. ´_Why can't you just be like the boys from my time?_´

To tell the truth, he was content with himself. Maybe turning human every month was unpractical, but he could live with it. The claws might look a bit odd, but they were very useful. His ears might be out of the norm, but hell, with them he could possibly hear better then even Sesshoumaru. Why did everyone want him to become something different?

Did he run around, forcing anyone to become youkai or hanyou? He was considerate enough to accept everyone for whatever that person was. If he had a problem with someone, it was because of something that someone was _doing_.

Inuyasha fisted his hand. ´_Shut up, idiot,_´ he berated himself. He noticed that the blood had stopped dropping, so he distracted himself with the preparation by gutting and skinning the deer. After that, he tried to open the knot in his haori, but it had pulled tight because of the weight of the deer.

"Damned tree!" he growled and swiped at the branch from which the deer was hanging from, letting his frustration out at the tree. The branch was severed, causing the animal to fall down with it. The weight being taken from the knot, he was finally able to open it. He took the branch and hurled it away as far as he could. "FUCK OFF!" he screamed after the branch as well as at Kagome. There it went, his only chance at a normal life. There it went, just like the branch, which connected with a tree and broke in two. His self control finally was expended, and he felt tears forming in his eyes. He got even more angry at himself and forced them back.

"WHY?" he shouted at the top of his voice at the already affected tree, and cut the more than hundred years old colossus down with one swipe. "WHY?" It fell down taking two smaller trees with it. He went to another tree and started punching it. "GODDAMN Fucking why?" With each word, his voice as well as his punches grew softer, until he collapsed against the tree, sitting with his back against it. He just sat there, staring up the sky and waiting for the earth to swallow him.

After some time he regained his composure. He looked at his fist, seeing that it looked like a bloody mess. He licked the blood off, the coppery taste and the pain helping to bring his sanity back. When he had licked the blood away, he could see that his hand was already healing again; it had looked much worse than it was. He went back to finish his work to distract himself. He divided the meat into handy parts, put everything in his haori and shouldered it like a sack. Because his jacket was made of fire rat fur, it wouldn't absorb bad smells. After lowering it into a river for a minute the blood spots would be washed away and the haori would be as good as new. He wished other things were also that easy to fix.

Well, at least now he knew where he stood. For some time he had thought that she wanted to be more than just a friend, hoped that she might accept him like he was. In a way it was better than not knowing, he told himself. He had let her come too close, and from now on he would keep up his guard. From now on he would keep his distance from the fucking bitch, before she really ripped his heart out.

* * *

Hoping that he had cooled down enough, he took the one piece of flesh he had left outside his jacket for breakfast, and walked back to the goddamned village with the meat on his back.

The problems between Inuyasha and Kagome are necessary for the plot - it won't be be dragged out into chapters upon chapters of angst. I promised you a roller coaster ride, didn't I? I will try not to favor one of the two, and I think this quarrel is the guilt of both parties, Inuyasha's for being angered so quick, and Kagome's for letting something like that slip. And mine, of course ;)

It was really hard to write Inuyasha in this chapter, and I hope I didn't make him seem weak or wimpy or something. I'm glad I waited a day before I posted this chapter, because this part of the story needed some editing after a night's sleep.

There was a Buddhist's prohibition against eating animals until some time around 1600. And Miroku's a monk, so he has to follow that, right?

**January 8th, 2003** : Chapter 5 complete.

**November 17th, 2004** : Last revision of the chapter.


	6. Chapter 5b: Oceanbound

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings : **  
I'm sorry to tell you that updates will be rare until February, because I have many tests coming up (seven tests in fourteen days, that's one for every two days) and I found out that learning will need more time than I thought it would.

To prove to you that this fic is not on hold and that I don't want to fool you completely unnecessary, I decided to post what I have as a teaser. I rearranged my chapter order, so the following dialogue now needs to be at the end of Chapter 5. It seems my writing got ahead of me a bit...

**Reviews revisited : **

Going over the reviews would take another hour, an hour that I simply don't _have_, sorry!

All I want to say now is that I'm totally flattered by being put on the fav. list of **Mistress Alandrem** (actually, she and _Becky Tailwaver_ rule over the Inuyasha realm :) ).  
And that I hope that _Admiral Biatch_ won't turn into Darth Vader and do some unfunny things with me...

**Disclaimer:  
**Like the last, still not mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from _Threshold_.

**Special thanks to :**  
_Kat Morning_ for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 5b**

_Everytime I try to climb the mountain  
Nothing in the world can pull me down _

_**Oceanbound**_

"Kagome, just let it be..." Sango shouted towards her friend. Kagome was still discussing injustice of prejudices with the merchant. The argument was going on for more than ten minutes, without any countable success. The rest of them had drawn back, bored by the discussion. Miroku questioned Shippou why Inuyasha was angry, but the child only knew that something was wrong. Sango was sure that Kagome hadn't wanted to tell the child; something sounded fishy. She looked at the squabbling pair - it looked like the miko was frustrated from whatever had happened with Inuyasha and was letting it out on the merchant.

"Look girl, I have nothing against you, but I won't do anything that will help a youkai in _any_ way. That's my last word."

"But what if this youkai helps you with another youkai?" Kagome asked a theoretical question, pegging away.

"Then this youkai would later do something that would harm me, too." The merchant looked set on his opinion, having his arms folded in front of him and a determined look on his face. Kagome was about to continue, when she heard Inuyasha behind her.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome seemed to be talking to some man and the rest stood around, looking bored. Couldn't they do something better with their time? Hell, even when he was about to lose his mind, he did something useful by hunting a deer. Neither had he forgotten to salt the meat when he had reached Jiro's place, to prevent it from getting spoilt. But now that he finally found them, it looked like he was the only one doing something useful.

"We are trying to buy some supplies but this merchant here doesn't want to sell us anything," Sango answered, turning to him. "Kagome has been trying to persuade him, but so far she wasn't successful."

Sango noticed that Inuyasha was carrying something, but before she could ask, Inuyasha answered her question anyway. "We don't need his fucking supplies. I got something much better." He put down his haori and opened it. "There is enough for everyone."

Shippou's eyes got bigger. "It's deer! Kagome, look, it's enough for the whole day!"

Kagome looked at the meat, then up to Inuyasha. He looked her straight in the eye, with ... defiance? Then he kneeled down to the meat to close the haori again. "You also want something this time, Miroku?" he asked the monk, who stood behind him.

´_He knows damn well I want nothing,_´ Miroku thought. He swung his staff to hit Inuyasha on the head. To his surprise the hanyou turned, stepped towards him and grabbed his wrist while he was about to strike. In one fluid motion Inuyasha twisted the staff out of his grip and carried his motion on to unceremoniously throw him over the hip. Miroku landed on his back, meanwhile Inuyasha took the staff in both hands, poised to strike.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He had a grim, calculating look on his face again, reminding her of the happenings two days ago. For a moment she thought that he would attack and prepared to sit him, but the hanyou relaxed after an instant and threw the staff to the monk. Miroku, lying perplexed on the floor, caught it. Everything happened so fast that if Sango hadn't tensed, too, with her hand at the hilt of her sword, it would have left Kagome wondering if she had just imagined Inuyasha's expression.

Inuyasha now looked as confident and arrogant as always. "No playing today, Miroku," he sneered, went back to his haori and shouldered it again. "See you at Kagome's bike. Try to hurry up, we only have a week left and it's still a long way!" With that he went towards the cliff, and began to jump up directly, ignoring the road.

They looked after him with confused expressions, not knowing what to say.

"I told you not to anger Inuyasha today," Shippou lectured Miroku, breaking the silence.

Sango also relaxed. "What's wrong with Inuyasha?" she wondered out loud. For a moment, she had thought that she would have to defend Miroku, seeing the expression on the hanyou's face. She went over to the monk, who was still lying on the ground, and offered him a hand. Miroku accepted it, standing up. "One should not anger him today, I say," he stated, dusting his cloth off, and turned towards the rest of the group. "Let's go back to the inn. We have to say goodbye to Jiro before we leave, not to forget that Kirara's waiting there and watching over Hiraikotsu." They left for the inn in a fast pace.

"Inuyasha is really quick to anger lately. And he never had a long fuse to begin with," Kagome began the conversation anew.

"I don't know. He looked almost surprised when he saw Miroku lying on the floor before him," Sango thought out loud. "It was as if he expected and fended off a real attack."

"And very well, might I add," Miroku said. "If he had wanted to, he could have used my own weapon against me after the throw." If Inuyasha had attacked him directly after the throw, he couldn't have defended. Lying on his back empty-handed, he wouldn't have been able to evade a strike with the staff which the hanyou had ready.

"What Inuyasha was doing was a basic technique for fighting barehanded against an armed opponent," Sango explained. "In our village-" the youkai hunter stopped at the memory of her brother sparring with her. She remembered teaching Kohaku a technique not unlike the one Inuyasha had used. Her brother had been complaining all the time that she was stronger and bigger, until he got the move right and used the weight of his sister against her.

"In our village," she began anew, pushing old memories away, "everybody was trained in the martial arts. To use such techniques effectively, they have to be trained very often until you can do them with barely thinking. In a real fight, timing is very important and you can't think long about which move to use, so you have to decide almost subconsciously."

Sango made a short pause, deciding what to say next. "I think that's what Inuyasha was doing. He reacted to a threat behind him without really thinking," she finished.

"But Inuyasha has never shown any training in his fights," Miroku said, not remembering Inuyasha ever fighting with something beside brute strength and good reflexes.

"Inuyasha. No Training..." Sango thought out loud. She could remember some moments when she had believed that Inuyasha was about to use some advanced move, as far as she could tell from his stance, but in the end he never finished one. Still, she had never been sure - until today. Inuyasha had executed the move flawlessly - it would have worked perfectly even if he was not half-youkai, if he was just as strong and fast as a human. "I think he has negated that theory today."

Kagome was not catching up with them. "What do you mean? That Inuyasha's maybe more than just using his reflexes?"

"Exactly," Miroku told the miko. The technique Inuyasha performed, although relatively simple, had countered his equally simple swipe perfectly; he had to agree with Sango on that. ´_Or should I say Sango-chan?_´ his thoughts wandered off. The way she let him hold her today... He inched nearer to her and tried to put his arm around her waist again.

But this time Sango elbowed him in the rips. "There's no time for that now, Houshi-sama," she muttered.

Miroku put a bit distance between Sango and himself, but less than would have been appropriate. She had said not this time, but there still was later. Miroku made a mental note to thank Shippou for his good advice concerning Sango. He didn't know if he should follow Inuyasha's advice, too, but seeing how things seemed to develop, or rather not develop between the hanyou and the miko, he would use Inuyasha's advice only as a drastic measure.

Kagome looked at Sango and Miroku. Instead of really answering her question concerning Inuyasha's fighting ability, both were unusually quiet. But, while Sango looked like she was concentrating, the monk had a far away look and a grin on his face. She didn't even want to know what the pervert was thinking about... Still, they walked together quite closely, leaving her wondering if she had missed something.

When Kagome was about to ask again, they reached the inn. Jiro's wife Aiko was standing in front of it, sweeping the front yard. "Good day!" she greeted them. "Will you be staying for dinner? Jiro is not at home, but please come in for some tea."

Miroku bowed. "No, Aiko-sama, we merely came to thank you for your kind care, we have to be on our way again. We also wanted to know if we could buy some supplies from you, as the merchant seemed to have a dislike for our group and didn't want to sell us anything."

Aiko gestured them to come in nonetheless and served the group some tea after they had set down. "Ah, you have run across Gihei. He didn't even tell you his name?" When she saw that they all shook their heads, she continued, "You have to excuse him. He is a good man, but youkai are in his bad book. He lost his wife and two of his children to them before he settled here, and has loathed youkai ever since," Aiko explained Gihei's behavior.

"I'm sorry for that," Kagome said. At least now it made some sense why the man had left them unattended. Still, she didn't agree with judging a whole race from one event. But she guessed that because of the hard times, people's mistrust was easily earned. And not much good was heard about youkai, also because bad news seemed to be the best news even in this time.

"In fact, many of the people here have had bad experiences with them, lost their homes and such, being forced to settle here," Aiko told them about the inhabitants of the village. She took a sip of her tea before she continued to speak. "I'm also sorry to say that we are low on supplies, but the next village is just a day's journey from here. You should be able to buy some food there," the woman of the house said, bowing to them.

Miroku bowed, too. "It is no problem, Aiko-sama. We should be leaving now, our dog-eared companion is waiting for us atop the cliff," he explained, seeing that everyone had finished tea. Sango went to retrieve Hiraikotsu while the rest got up. They were already through the door when Jiro's wife followed them outside.

"You could come back in three weeks, there is a market being held then, and many people come here to trade all kind of things, with us for jade, or between themselves. Maybe we could repay you then for your help," she told them. She smiled down at Shippou. "I have also heard that this year some kind of circus will be residing in the village."

Shippou looked interested. "What's a circus?"

"It's a show where people show various tricks and stunts," Kagome explained the kid. She herself found the market more interesting. There could be someone selling a Shikon shard, not knowing what it was. And maybe she could get a souvenir? "We might show up. Good bye, Aiko-san."

The group left the village and went on the road that meandered up to the top of the cliff. Kagome started to brood again. Her stupid comment this morning seemed to have affected Inuyasha more than she had feared. He had acted as if nothing had happened, but the incident with Miroku proved otherwise. She still remembered the look he had given her - where before had always been friendship and a hint of affection in his eyes, now there had only been repulsion and independence. He seemed to already have built up his walls again, leaving her to hope that she would be able to break through.

Shippou hopped onto Kagome's shoulder and whispered into her ear to leave Miroku and Sango some private time. Kagome followed his advice, feeling both happy and sad that at least her friend seemed to be luckier in love than herself.

The miko and the youkai kit on her shoulder fell back until Miroku and Sango were out of sight.

"Kagome, why is Inuyasha so grumpy today?" the fox child tried his innocent act again.

Said miko looked a bit uneasy. "Well, I told him that he shouldn't tease me but he got it a bit wrong...."

"Just from that?" Shippou looked at her inquiringly. Inuyasha wouldn't get that angry just because she said he shouldn't tease her.

Kagome looked at Shippou. Should she really tell the child? But there was no one else, as she didn't want to disturb Sango and Miroku. "Well, you know, I remembered that in my school people would never be so rude to me. And then I said - no, it's more like I thought out loud - no, not even that loud; it's more like I was speaking to myself ..."

"Yes, you didn't mean it, I got that!" Shippou interrupted her impatiently.

"Why can't you be more like the boys from my time?" Kagome told the fox child.

Shippou nodded. "That's pretty tough."

Kagome grimaced. "Shippou, I didn't mean it that way! All I wanted to say was that he should be a bit more polite, like the boys in my time. It has nothing to do with him being hanyou and such." Kagome tried to clear up things. ´_What I said can't be that bad?_´ she thought uneasily.

Shippou looked away, remembering how angry Inuyasha had acted this morning. Now he knew the reason for his behavior. "Wow, Inuyasha reacted quite well," he said, thinking of today's events in a new light. When the hanyou came back from the hunt, he had seemed like his usual self - just the incident with Miroku seemed a bit odd. Inuyasha had never struck back until now when the monk smacked him on the head.

This time it looked like Kagome had started the quarrel. Normally only the hanyou did say such stupid things, maybe he was rubbing off on Kagome? It looked like now both sides were trying to sabotage his attempts to bring them together. He had hoped that not only Miroku would try harder, but Inuyasha too. The monk actually seemed to be doing well, but after what Kagome had said it was almost impossible that Inuyasha would do the first step. It looked like it was up to him to fix everything.

Remembering last afternoon's conversation with Inuyasha, he hoped that he would be able to talk Inuyasha out of his conclusion. "Don't worry, Kagome, I will talk to him!" he told her as reassuringly as he could.

* * *

I want to apologize that I posted an unfinished chapter, but my writing got ahead a bit of my planning and when I realized that one scene didn't really fit into the fic, I had to change the flow of the story a bit. The next chapter is half-way finished, but the next two weeks there won't be much time to write. I will try to have the next chapter in a week or two, but I can promise nothing. 

The move Inuyasha used is a twisted version of a Judo move, Sode Tsuri Komi Goshi. I'm practicing Judo (only green belt) and I'm trying to use my knowledge for the fic. Judo didn't exist back then (it was founded by Jigoro Kano 1882), but Jujitsu, from which Judo was invented, dates back very long before 1500, when everything in this fic is happening. (There are documents dating unarmed fighting competitions in Japan around 230 B.C.)

**January 14th, 2003**: Teaser finished.

**February 03rd, 2003**:  
I rearranged the allocation of chapter five, so that 5b can count as a chapter on it's own.

**November 17th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	7. Chapter 06: Back in Time

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings: **  
Here's the next chapter. I'm really glad that the last chapter received that many reviews! It were more than 20! I'm not writing this story for the reviews alone (then I would post shorter chapters), but it's nice to see that it is well received. :)

I changed the sub-genre to Mystery, because I think Drama/Mystery is fitting this story better. If someone has a better idea, please tell me! (I think it's not dark enough for Angst, is it?)

**Reviews revisited: **

_usagipegasus_ - Thanks for reviewing both parts of the chapter! Here comes the next.

_AngelsExist_ - I'm glad that you like how I write Inuyasha, it's kind of difficult sometimes... I think this chapter should be long enough to make you happy, so I hope you review this one, too :)!

_Misao CG_ - Here's the next chapter! I hope I didn't whack you too hard :)

_Renangel_ - That's one of the most assuring comments I've had this far! I hope that more people like my building more character... Well, at least you do!

_Anime-05_ - I'm glad to read that my character development makes some sense. And I really hope you manage to write another review before Inuyasha gets angry for titling him kawaii :)

_Aldrean Treu Peri_ - Inuyasha is fretting a bit more in this chapter, though he is more calmed down this time. The plot isn't doesn't advance much, as the title suggests... Hope to read from you!

_alandrem_ - WOW! Thank you very much for the review! Your fic is actually one of my two all-time favorite Inuyasha fics! I still remember how it got deleted while I was reading it, I almost lost my mind (what saved my sanity was the fact that I found your homepage in the browser history :) ) I hope I'm not subconsciously copying the Inuyasha - Shippou relation, but it will be different in my story.  
I have to agree with you that all the mindless A/U's are a bit unnerving. I especially dislike the "Inuyasha and Kagome are humans and go to school"-setting. This has been written a hundred times already and even the few fics which aren't completely pointless often suffer from a lack of innovation.  
I'm also glad that you like my characterization and plot, out of your mouth/fingers it is as much proof that my story isn't that bad as I can get :). Thanks for putting me on your favorites!

_Nuklear Firefly_ - I feared that I got Inuyasha OOC, but it looks like it was well received. I think Sango/Miroku will get less space in the next chapters, but I will try to give them some time :)

_a person_ - Yes, I try to stay as near to the truth as possible and incorporate a few things I found out about Japanese history into my fic, as long as they aren't contradicting my plot. If that should ever happen, the plot would come first. Thanks for the review, hope to read from you!

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - What do I have to see? You were reading but not reviewing? Kara, give your friend a whack on the head from me; Alara, go go go :)  
Anyway, as you are trying to make amends for your sin, I think I can forgive you... IF you write another review hehe. Thanks to you, Kara and Kenoko, for making her review :) And Kenoko, what were you trying to say? curious glance

_dstrbd child_ - Thanks for reviewing both parts of the chapter. I always like people telling me that what I write isn't that bad :)

_Admiral Biatch_ - Here's the next chapter. I hope this serves to bring you back to the good side of the force. And yeah, rants and reviews work to make me write quicker (dunno know if it works on other people, too) :)

_Tori _ - Well, he can't put his past behind before he doesn't remember, and he isn't really talkative in that aspect either. I think you meant screen, if I'm not mistaken (what's with this alter-ego thing?). Anyway, continue writing weird reviews, they get extra attention from me. :) Maybe you can compete with Lady Wolf Moon ...  
Tinuviel, I hope you set Tori free again so you can both :) enjoy this chapter.

_nEw moDeL nO.15_ - I already kept wondering what happened to you. I know what you mean with much work, these things really suck up one's time... Well I'll try my best to keep writing, but the next week there will be even less time than the last. Hope to read from you!

_tamababymiko-chan_ - Thanks to you too for reviewing both parts of the chapter. Your question concerning appearances, I can confirm Sesshoumaru, and I have a good idea where I will put Kouga in... This fic should satisfy your demand for Inuyasha's POV.  
The titles in my songs are not from Japanese bands, because I don't really understand that language (beside the really basic stuff). The bands are actually from all over the world (Metal is very multi-national music):

America: Linkin Park  
Germany: Angel Dust, Rage  
Great Britain: Prodigy, Threshold  
Sweden: In Flames

**Disclaimer:  
**Ask some lawyer who exactly owns Inuyasha, 'cause I don't know, neither do _I_ own him.  
The title epigraph is from _Rage_, from a song that fits the chapter quite well.

**Special thanks to:**  
_Kat Morning_ for her awesome beta skills. Thanks for your tips!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_The intention's here,  
this was how I planned to be._

_But reality shows the weaker part of me._

**_Back in Time_**

Inuyasha got permission to play outside after he had finished the lesson with his mother. He walked to the field outside the village, where the kids gathered in the afternoon when they had some spare time. When he arrived, he saw that there were nine children, most of them about his age or a bit older, playing with a ball. Some were already sitting outside the field, waiting for the game to begin anew. He went over to them as usual. "Hello!" he greeted them. "Can I join?"

The rules for the game they were playing were simple: stay in your half of the field, and don't let yourself be shot by the ball without catching it. What brought a small element of teamwork into the game was that one wasn't allowed to move if he had taken hold off the ball. So, usually, people hid in the back if the enemy had the ball, and when the ball was caught the teammates advanced to the front and the ball was passed on. The better the teamwork functioned, the better were the chances to get an enemy shooter before he was able to retreat to the rear of his own field.

The boundaries of the field were two trees at the respective ends. The two halves were separated by a rope half way between the two trees; if one stepped over it would to mean being expelled until the game started anew.

The eldest of the playing children, a boy of twelve years named Eiji, looked almost relieved that Inuyasha showed up. "'bout time you showed up, dog-ear! The others already started complaining that the game is unfair."

Inuyasha grinned at the five years elder boy. Eiji was physically well-developed for his age, surpassing the other children in size and strength. He was also an excellent shot, everything together led to him being the most wanted player when teams were formed. Inuyasha was the only one who came near being as good as Eiji, so they usually ended up in different teams. This had led to an intense competition between the two.

Eiji always called him dog-ear instead of his name, but Inuyasha was used to the semi-friendly insult, having one of his own too. "Can't wait to be defeated, Ei-Jiji?"

"In your dreams, Chibi."

When the next game started, the waiting children went into their halves of the field again. Inuyasha joined the team opposing Eiji, forcing one of his team to join Eiji's, to even the score. Each team had five members now.

The game began with Eiji making a warm-up shot at Shiori, an eight year old girl. She caught the ball and passed it to Genjo, who tried to shoot at the retreating Eiji. But the older boy caught the shot of Genjo, immediately returning the ball. Genjo had laid all of his strength into his shot and was off balance. Unable to catch or evade, the ball hit his upper leg full force with a loud splash. "Got ya!" Eiji cheered. Genjo growled out in pain, making the others laugh at him. Everyone knew how much a shot from Eiji could hurt, but it was always funny if the victim was someone else.

The ball jumped back into Eiji's half, who picked it up and made another attempt for Shiori. The ball aimed for her head and she threw up her arms in reflex. The ball bounced of her forearm in a wide bow. Inuyasha ran after and jumped for it, catching the ball sliding on his back before it hit the ground, saving Shiori's 'life'. This was what made Inuyasha a formidable opponent, he was not only a good shot but also able to catch very well with his good reflexes. He could catch even Eiji's fierce shots, making him very difficult to 'kill'.

Inuyasha gave Shiori a thumbs-up, before he passed the ball to another of his fellow players. She gave him a small, relieved smile. Inuyasha got up and watched as Eiji caught the ball.

It was Inuyasha's turn to catch the ball, he was chosen as target because he was standing very near the front from his slide to save the girl. He caught the ball with both arms and chose to shoot at one of Eiji's teammates instead the boy himself. Inuyasha scored a hit, and the teams were even again.

Eiji picked up the ball and was about to shoot, when the town-bell suddenly rang. "Not now!" Eiji complained, his annoyed tone belying the severity/(check word) of the situation. The children started to run for the village, knowing that this always meant serious trouble. Inuyasha ran back to his home as fast as he could, looking back only once to make sure the others were all right. When he arrived, his mother was already waiting in the door.

"Haha-ue, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Inuyasha!" his mother replied hastily, nervousness showing on her face. "Come in quickly!" She pulled him inside the house and closed the door. If help was needed somewhere, a villager would come and tell them what to do. Until then she would stay here with her son.

Inuyasha could make out fighting sounds, men screaming and shouting, and a somewhat deeper voice. It seemed to be coming from the jade mine. Inuyasha tried to make out what they said, but the voices were too far away. Fires were the most common reason to ring the town bell, but somehow the sounds were different from the ordered shouts that always went along when something burned. Another time, there had been an accident at the cliff, though Inuyasha couldn't remember it well - it had been at the beginning of his time in the village.

After some time, the sounds ended and the town bell was rung again, indicating that everyone should gather in the village tavern. Inuyasha and Ayako left immediately. On their way, they saw other villagers also heading for the tavern. Inuyasha kept close to his mother, unsure about the uproar. He caught the smell of blood mixed with something else, coming from the tavern. ´_That's bad,_´ Inuyasha thought. In situations like this one, blood always meant hurt people.

When he and his mother arrived, Inuyasha could see six dead bodies lying on the ground in front of the tavern. One of them was an old widower, but each of the others had wailing family members gathered around him. The dead bodies had deep gashes, which seemed to be made by claws; most were in the chest, one of them had also lost an arm.

Seeing the dead bodies, many started to ask what happened. Ryobe, one of the town elders, gestured the people to be quiet. "There was an ambush at the mines," the old man began. "The workers were attacked by a youkai, and the results of two weeks work were stolen. The men here tried to stop him... but weren't successful." He tried to silence the crowd after the revelation, but it took some time until the rantings died down to an acceptable level.

"But there haven't been any youkai attacks for years!" a woman cried.

Ryobe responded with a grim face. "I think this has to do with the death of Lord Seibunishi. Since his death, youkai attacks in this region have increased, but maybe Lady Ayako can tell us more?" he addressed Inuyasha's mother.

She looked up from the dead bodies with a sad expression on her face. "I think it has to do with his son, Sesshoumaru. He doesn't care for the treaties his father made with the humans of this region. Since he followed in his father's footsteps as the Lord of the Western Lands, he hasn't shown any interest in keeping humans safe." She could count herself lucky that he let her live with her son at the outskirts of his territory.

Inuyasha felt bad when he heard that his brother was responsible for the deaths of the men. Four men left children behind - the body lying outmost right had been Shiori's father. He looked around, but could see the little girl nowhere. He felt sorry for her, he knew what it meant to grow up without a father.

Shiori's mother stood up and cried at Ayako, "That's all your fault, youkai whore! My brother Isoshi took part in the fight and told me! The youkai said this is the punishment for giving shelter to your offspring," The woman broke down and continued to sob, mumbling to herself. "If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have happened. My Kiyosato would still be alive."

Inuyasha looked up to his mother, who seemed to be about to say something, but then kept silent. She put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Then she finally responded to the insult. "I'm sorry, but this is the fault of the one who killed your husband, and indirectly of Sesshoumaru, who doesn't happen to be my son." With that she turned around, walking back to her home with her son.

"Is it really our fault, Haha-ue?" Inuyasha asked his mother on the way back. The thought that because of him six men were dead - that because of him children had lost their father - made him feel guilty.

His mother gave him a reassuring smile, but he thought it somehow didn't look honest. "No, Inuyasha. This youkai just used that as an excuse to ransack the village. But some people will believe, some want to believe it. Please be cautious for the next few days, the situation has to calm down. Whatever happens, please don't get into fights."

She knew that Inuyasha sometimes ended up in a fight. Most often it wasn't even his fault - at least, she hoped that this assessment was right. Especially in the beginning, when the other children hadn't known him, he often had been involved in brawls. The last year had been fairly quiet, maybe the competition with Eiji also had to do with it. They had had a terrible fight a year ago, Inuyasha had even lost one of his teeth. He hadn't told her any details, so at first she wanted to complain to the child's parents, but Inuyasha had told her not to because the problem was already _solved_. Eiji wasn't the brightest, but since then he seemed to somewhat accept Inuyasha, and with him the other children.

"I'll try my best," Inuyasha assured her. He was always cautious, especially around adults - some of them just seemed to despise him, no matter what he did. Being around with other children was easier, they seemed to be more open. Then he asked another question that had kept bugging him. "Why did Shiori's mother call you a whore?" He knew a young woman who was also called a whore, and she always smelled of different men. He didn't know why, but many villagers didn't seem to like that. He couldn't notice any different smell on his mother.

"Don't worry about me, Inuyasha. People in grief often lash out without thinking," his mother answered, not really wanting to go into detail. It had become evening, so when they arrived at home she put Inuyasha to sleep.

---------

The day began with learning to write. The lessons lasted till the late afternoon and were only interrupted by lunch. When they were finally over, his mother didn't want him to go out and play, but Inuyasha kept bugging her until she gave in.

He went over to the field and saw several kids gathered there. They seemed to be in a bad mood, as everyone was just standing around and talking. When he greeted them he only received glares in response. "Speak of the devil," Eiji said.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked.

"We were just talking about you," the older boy continued. "Father said that yesterday's attack happened because you are living in this village. That it is dangerous to keep you here."

"That's not true!" the young hanyou countered. "I have been living in this village for three years and nothing has ever happened. What the youkai said was just a lame excuse."

Shiori glared at him. "Just a lame excuse? Because of this lame excuse, my father is dead!" Her eyes looked like she had been crying all day, and they got wet again.

"Shiori," Inuyasha told her, "I'm sorry for your father. I know how you feel."

"You know nothing!" she shouted at him. "Your father was just a damn youkai. A demon, a monster."

Inuyasha got angry. "Chichi-ue was as much my parent as your father was yours!"

"How would you know?" another child asked him. "I heard that he left you here years ago and you can't even remember him."

"Haha-ue told me!" the hanyou said confidently.

"As if the word of the whore counts anything." Shiori snorted.

"Don't call her a whore!" Inuyasha shouted.

"But she is," Eiji told him. "Why else would she have a child from a youkai?"

Inuyasha glared at him. "Take that back!" he demanded. He didn't understand what the boy meant, but he _did _understand that it was an insult for his mother.

"Or you'll do what?" Eiji mocked him.

Inuyasha launched himself at Eiji. The older boy punched Inuyasha in the face and laughed when he saw blood running down the hanyou's lip. Inuyasha just got more angry and punched Eiji in the stomach. With a grunt the older boy collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly, an adult was between the two. "What's going on here?" the man asked. He glared down at Inuyasha. "Are you attacking our children now?"

"It's his fault!" Inuyasha told the adult. He recognized him as Eiji's father.

"No, it's his!" Shiori shouted, pointing at Inuyasha. "Everything is his fault!"

"I think you better leave now, hanyou," Eiji's father told Inuyasha.

The word 'hanyou' was too much for Inuyasha. He turned and ran home to his mother, crying. He saw that the villagers all looked after him. ´_They too think it is my fault._´

When he arrived at home, he immediately ran into the house. His mother took him in her arms. "What happened, Inuyasha?"

He told his mother that he had gotten into a fight with Eiji. She looked at his lip, but the injury didn't seem too bad. "I told you not to brawl! Everyone is easily angered now, and you have to be cleverer and not lose your head like everyone else." She started patting his head to soothe him.

"But they said it was my fault! I didn't do anything wrong! You said so yourself!" Inuyasha shouted.

"They are just parroting what their parents say," his mother explained, still patting his head. "Everything will calm down after a while. You just have to keep a low profile until then." She stood up. "Come on, let's have dinner now. Everyone gets aggressive on an empty stomach."

When Inuyasha had finished with the meal, he went to bed, exhausted. It took him quite some time until he could find sleep, remembering how life had been before he was accepted by the children. He didn't want to live through that again. "Please", he prayed to no god in particular, "make everyone friendly again!" Not knowing what else to say, he fell silent again, hoping that someone was up there, willing to help him.

---------

The next day Inuyasha didn't go to the field to play with the others. He stayed in his room, afraid to go out. When the night had come, he finally had enough of sitting in the house. As soon as his mother was asleep, he ventured out into the night. Without a definite goal, he wandered around in the village. He got bored, because there was nothing going on and in most houses the light was already dimmed. He noticed that the tavern seemed to be the only place that was still filled with life.

Becoming curious, Inuyasha went to the building. He pressed his ear against the wall, listening to what was going on inside. He was so absorbed in trying to distinguish the myriad of voices, that he failed to notice the two men who exited the tavern behind him, until one them grabbed him by the hair and hauled him up. "See what we have here..." the man laughed. Inuyasha could smell alcohol from his breath. His scalp hurt from his whole body hanging on it. Wanting to escape, he tried to pry his hair free, but the man was a sturdy miner and his grip was like iron.

"Oh no you don't, fucking bastard!" The man got angry from one second to the other and threw Inuyasha against the wall. For a short moment, everything went black when Inuyasha's head hit the wall. When he regained consciousness, he felt the man gripping his throat, lifting him up again.

"Come on, that's enough, Junichi," the other man told his friend, putting his hand on his shoulder. "He isn't worth it."

"Because of this freak, Keizo is dead!" Junichi snarled, slamming Inuyasha against the wall. The child wanted to gasp, but couldn't because of the grip around his throat. He tried to get the hand away, but the grip only tightened. Unable to breathe, he began to see stars dancing before his eyes. His attempts to free himself got weaker and more desperate.

"This is for Keizo!" Inuyasha heard the man shout before suddenly a fist exploded in his face. "This is for Kiyosato!" Out of instinct Inuyasha grabbed the arm when the man wanted to hit him again and bit his fangs into the flesh.

Junichi screamed in pain and released Inuyasha, who crumbled to the floor and took the longest breath he had ever taken in his life. He stumbled backwards, his vision slowly returning. He could see a black form closing in. Without a second thought he turned around and ran.

Inuyasha passed the first trees, not fully noticing them with his sight still affected. Panicking, he continued to run, not realizing that he was already way out into the forest. Ignoring the burning pain in his lungs and the sore feeling in his throat, he channeled the stress into running faster and faster. Forcing his legs to carry him as fast as he could, feeling the wind in his face, he slowly regained his senses. He could smell a few animals in the vicinity, he could smell the odor of the forest, but nothing smelled of humans.

He sprinted until he reached a lake deep in the forest. He finally stopped and fell to his knees at the shore of the huge lake. Letting his burning lungs recover, he looked into the water. Because it was almost full moon it was bright enough for him to see that his eye had taken an unhealthy dark shade in the reflection. He stared at the face that was staring back at him, seeing the ears on the head, the fangs in the mouth, the slight glow in the eyes. Compared to the other children, he did indeed look like a monster. "Hanyou," he muttered to his twin in the water. He hit the water with his fist, dissolving his mirror image.

Not wanting his mother to know that he had gotten into a fight again, he didn't return home, hoping that the black eye would be gone the next day. He climbed up a tree and found a comfortable branch to rest. With the effect of the adrenaline dying away, he soon felt tired. He still had the somewhat comforting taste of Junichi's blood in his mouth when he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Inuyasha sat on the edge of the cliff, one leg hanging down lazily while the other was pulled to his chest with his arm, staring down at the village that he had once called home. Everything had changed much since he had left as a child, and it almost felt like it was really almost sixty years, though he usually didn't count the years he spent at the Goshinboku. He hadn't even recognized the village until Miroku had told him about the jade mine. 

The house where he had used to live was replaced by another one, and the field where he had played with the other children also had a hut standing on it. Most of the houses were built solely with wood, because the forest was plentiful around the village. And wood burned well...

He took a stone and threw it down the cliff, watching with childish fascination how it descended with increasing speed until it shattered at the ground. He remembered doing the same thing when he _was_ still a child, not just behaving like one.

Again, his life took a turn for the worse here. He had wanted to leave everything behind at first. When he had reached the top of the cliff he had thought about abandoning his group. But he still wanted to kill Naraku, and his chances were a lot better with them than alone. And it wasn't like he had anywhere to go. He didn't want to return to living alone, so he might as well trail along with them.

He stared down at the village, refreshing his memory. This was the only place he ever had called home. Not even his forest, which he had thought of home at first, had been the same. One place had come near: Kikyou's village. He had never really thought of it as his home, but the feel had been akin. But home was where people loved him unconditionally, and the only person who had ever done that was his mother.

She had to be dead by now, even if Sesshoumaru's puppet hadn't been his real mother. And he also wanted the company of other people, not just that of his mother. He remembered that even as a child he had always hated the he didn't seem to have other people caring for him, unlike all the others.

He still remembered the day when he had suggested to Kikyou that they could live together. Being around her for more than a month, he had thought that it was time to deepen their relationship. He had been terribly nervous, and it had taken him two days until he had gathered up the courage to tell her, though he had been incredibly excited when he had finally asked her.

The answer had left him devastated. Kikyou had told him that she couldn't be together with a hanyou. She had even pointed out long term problems: the children would be part youkai like him, her reputation as priestess would be tainted. Marriage was only possible between humans, especially for her as miko.

He had been speechless - it had been like a punch straight in his face. It seemed there was only one thing that ever happened to his hopes, they were shattered. One after the other, with no exception.

It had been around that time when Kikyou had come up with the idea of using the Shikon no Tama to turn him human; and he had agreed back then. Maybe it would have been better, ending his lifelong struggle. I would be easier not having to worry about being different from _everyone_ else.

It wasn't easy for him to find a potential partner, he could count all of them on one hand, without any problem: Kagome and Kikyou, and maybe Sango too, considering how much time he spent around her. But she didn't really count, as she seemed to be drawn to Miroku. And he wasn't interested in her, either.

Kikyou also could hardly be called a partner now that her body was more dead than alive. Her mind had changed, too, being taken over by the hate she felt in the moment of her death. Although lately, he couldn't even be sure about that. It was very confusing, having to decide between the two incarnations. He wasn't over his old feelings for Kikyou, what also had made things worse between him and Kagome.

Kikyou no longer was who she had once been, and she also preferred to leave Inuyasha alone except for some surprise visits. Kagome, on the other hand, spent most of her time with him, unless she had something important to do at her school. Maybe she had a boy waiting for her in her glorious future? He growled angrily about how many 'tests' she had had.

But what did he growl for? Kagome too had made it quite clear that she wasn't interested in him. It was his greatest fear since Kikyou's refusal, that people liked him but were repelled by his body.

"Hehehe", he laughed a humorless laugh at the sudden thought that he could lose both arms, not just one like Sesshoumaru, and could still count his people. The number was easily reduced to zero.

Unlike Kagome, Kikyou had at least been a bit tactful explaining him her reasons. Maybe she would also have changed her decision if they had had more time. With Kikyou he had been involved, while Kagome probably saw him as her pet or something, boasting how he followed her every step.

He looked down at the prayer beads around his neck. Remembering how Jiro had mistaken him for Kagome's slave, he hid the necklace under his clothing as well as he could. He didn't want to repeat that incident - he had been very embarrassed when the old man said that he was surprised that the hanyou was eating with them, as if he was something filthy.

"Inuyasha!" he suddenly heard Miroku shout. Inuyasha looked to his left, seeing the monk approaching. Sango was walking next to Miroku and gave the hanyou a curious stare.

" 'bout time you showed up!" Inuyasha shouted at them. He picked up Tetsusaiga, which he had laid next to him to sit more comfortable, and put it through his sash. Then he stepped away from the cliff, glancing down a last time, and waited for Sango and Miroku.

"Where's the rest?" he asked when they reached him.

"Kagome and Shippou should be here any minute." Miroku told him. "It seems that you are not in a good mood today."

"None of your business, monk. What took you so long?"

Miroku pointed at Sango's boomerang and answered the question. "We went to retrieve Hiraikotsu and Lady Aiko was friendly enough to serve us some tea. She also told us that there will be a market in three weeks, and we will most likely attend."

Inuyasha's face fell for a moment. ´_Great, now it looks like we will even return to this fucking village,_´ he thought while regaining his annoyed look. "Does Kagome want to buy some girlie stuff?"

When no one answered, Inuyasha noticed that Sango was still looking at him. "Do you have a problem?" he barked at her.

Sango wasn't intimidated. "What were you doing with Miroku?"

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked back.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Sango insisted. She had always suspected that there was more to Inuyasha. The first time they had met he had taken her out without even having to fall back on hurting her. When she had stabbed his arm he hadn't even flinched. Without being priggish about her abilities, she thought of herself as an excellent fighter. She might not have been in her best health back then, but the Shikon shard had kept her pushing at almost her top. He had still stopped her without getting serious.

Inuyasha gave her a bored look. "What'cha talking about?"

Sango grabbed his wrist, hinting at the throw the hanyou had done with Miroku. "Beginning to remember?" she asked dryly.

"Oh, you mean that?" Inuyasha asked her.

"Yes, I mean that! What were you doing with Miroku?" Sango asked again.

Inuyasha broke the grip she still had on his wrist by simply yanking it free with brute strength. "Well, I threw him. And I always thought you of all people could recognize a throw."

Miroku put his hand on Sango's shoulder, who looked like she was about to throw the hanyou for real - down the cliff. "We were merely wondering when you developed such surprising grace?" the monk asked.

Inuyasha looked offended. "Are you trying to tell me I'm clumsy?" He put his hand at the hilt of Tetsusaiga, trying to look intimidating.

That moment Kagome made it over the last vault with Shippou on her shoulder and saw Inuyasha standing there with the hand at his sword. "Inuyasha!" she shouted, hoping to get his attention. She ran faster even, wanting to reach them before he would take out his anger on the two. When she arrived, she saw that Inuyasha looked calm. Being out of air from the run, she made a few deep intakes of breaths.

"You could have gotten here a little faster. I have better things to do than waiting for you with these two idiots here," Inuyasha said, pointing at Miroku and Sango. "We still have a long way to go this week," he finished, putting the flesh in his haori over his shoulder again, and walked back to where the path to the village split off from the main road. When he passed Kagome's bike, he shouldered it, too.

Shippou, who was still sitting on Kagome's shoulder, wanted to jump off, but Kagome stopped him. "Don't tell them," she nodded at Miroku and Sango, "why Inuyasha is angry. I don't think it would help if they knew."

Shippou thought for a while, coming to the conclusion that she was right. "Promise!" With that, he jumped off and ran after Inuyasha. He looked back, seeing that the others were following them. Just Kirara was nowhere to be seen - possibly the cat youkai was hunting in the woods. "Hey, Inuyasha, when are we going to train today?"

Inuyasha looked down to the fox child. He hadn't even thought of that because of all the trouble. Maybe teaching the brat would distract him a bit. "After dinner. We still have to make way before then." He couldn't suppress a small smile when he noticed the relieved look on Shippou's face.

"Thanks, Inuyasha!" When Shippou saw that Inuyasha did not look like he was going to make conversation, he fell back to the rest of the group. He thought that the best opportunity to talk to the hanyou would be while or after the training. Inuyasha was never that talkative while they were traveling, usually keeping ahead of the group a bit. The fact that there were only seven days left till his transformation didn't help either.

When the fox child had left, Inuyasha's thoughts wandered back to the attack he had made against the monk earlier that day. It had to be everything together: the village, the problems with Kagome. Being as agitated as he had been, Miroku could count himself lucky that he hadn't hurt him out of reflex.

He had dropped to get his haori because he hadn't been able to stand looking at Kagome any longer. Trying to distract himself and also his friends, he had asked Miroku if he also wanted some of what he had caught. He had just about regained his composure, when someone suddenly attacked him. Being rather surprised that he hadn't noticed anyone approach, he threw the attacker. He had realized a bit too late that it was only Miroku, and then the monk was already lying on the ground.

Inuyasha had kept this secret quite well until this day. By now Sango seemed to have realized that he was a more trained fighter than he let on. He didn't like to fight that way, it somehow made him feel ... bad, cold inside. He couldn't exactly describe it, but he disliked the feeling very much.

He also didn't want to disgust Kagome. When she had freed him from the seal, he had dismembered the centipede. Not having much time because she had already swallowed the Shikon no Tama, he had attacked with full force. Kagome's scent, which he had mistaken for Kikyou's, and being pinned to the tree with an arrow through his heart, unable to do anything - everything together had gotten him worked up. He remembered how he had relished the violence. Even powered up, the centipede had not stood a chance against the onslaught of his claws - her remains had been distributed over the whole glade. He could still remember how disgusted Kagome had looked at the carnage, only her duty to find the Shikon no Tama to prevent a resurrection of the youkai had distracted her.

Because of these two reasons, he had almost never used his full capabilities in his fights. Only when fighting against Sesshoumaru he had lost control and attacked with all his might: the first time when he had thought Kagome dead in his father's grave and managed to destroy Sesshoumaru's armor, and the second time when Sesshoumaru had stolen Tetsusaiga and Inuyasha was forced to protect Kagome, slicing his brother's cheek in the process.

His half-brother was still a tad faster and stronger, especially since he had acquired Toukijin. The sword had enough power to oppose Tetsusaiga. And Kagome had told him that Tenseiga protected Sesshoumaru from the Kaze no Kizu, while Inuyasha hadn't any added protection against all the destructive energy of Toukijin. Maybe the scabbard could work, like with the lighting brothers? He didn't think it was wise to try out.

Inuyasha was sure that Sesshoumaru did away the times he had managed to hurt him as rage for the girl; it wasn't completely wrong. That way he could hope that Sesshoumaru would maybe underestimate him again in their next fights, giving him a small advantage. It worked with most opponents; his young age and some insults were enough to let them think he was a fool. Not many lived to regret their fault.

He noticed steps coming nearer from behind him. He turned around and saw Kagome trying to catch up to him. He stopped and waited until she reached him. "Trying to stalk me again, wench?" he asked her sarcastically.

Kagome looked at him. He appeared to be unaffected, behaving like always, but his voice was just a _tad_ colder. His posture was as confident as ever, both his haori and the bike swung casually over a shoulder. Still, she thought that he seemed to be gripping the jacket tighter than needed. "Hi, Inuyasha." Not knowing how to begin, she just greeted him.

"Is it just my imagination", Inuyasha answered her, "or didn't we already greet each other this morning?" He tried as hard as he could to keep the anger out of his voice. "Well, hi again." He turned and continued on his way.

Kagome noticed that he forced out the greeting. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said, running beside him.

"What for?" Inuyasha asked her, sounding totally uninterested.

"For what I said to you this morning. I -"

"Don't be. It is nothing." Inuyasha interrupted. He looked down at her, giving the miko a bored look. ´_Thought you can cleave my heart out, eh?_´ he thought when he saw the disappointed expression on Kagome's face. ´_Sorry, but it needs more than you._´

When Kagome heard his reply, her spirits sank even lower. She knew that he had been affected by it, so why did he act so casual? "It was not nothing. I didn't think when I said ... that. I meant something totally different!" she told Inuyasha sincerely, looking at him almost pleading.

"That's fine. Now go bug someone else. Shippou should be interested," the hanyou commented, disinterest clear in his voice.

Kagome was getting desperate now. She had expected him to be angry, that he would shout at her, but this indifference was even worse. "Inuyasha, I was just angry that you kept teasing me. You can trust me!"

The hanyou stopped and turned to look at her. He didn't say a thing for a while, just stared at Kagome. She couldn't decipher the blank look he gave her. "I do trust you," he finally said. She looked at him surprised. _´He still trusts me!´_

"What choice do I have?" The smile that had been forming on her face froze at Inuyasha's statement. He turned again and walked away from her. Kagome stood riveted to the spot, looking after him.

´_What was that now?_´ This conversation had just been plain weird. What did he mean with what choice did he have? She felt Shippou hop on her shoulder. And he had said that she should talk to the kid. Did he mean she should tell the fox, like she had already done?

"Kagome?" Shippou said, knocking at her head. "Snap out of it!" He had run forward to her when he saw her standing frozen on the spot. Thinking that Inuyasha had said something nasty, he had come to comfort her. But she had just been standing there, not even registering that he was talking to her. She finally turned her head in his direction.

"What did you say, Shippou?" Kagome asked him.

He looked at her again to make sure he had her attention this time. "I asked you what happened. Was he angry with you?"

Kagome shook her head. "That's the problem, he wasn't angry."

"What's bad with him not being angry? I think that's a progress," the fox child commented.

"No, you don't understand. He wasn't angry, he wasn't sad, he wasn't anything. He was just totally indifferent, like it had nothing to do with him. He talked to me like he was talking about the weather," Kagome said. "I apologize and explain that I didn't mean what he thinks, and he looks me straight in the eye and tells me that it is nothing!"

Shippou noticed that she had started to gesture with her hands. "Kagome, calm down." He thought over what the miko had told him. "Maybe he wasn't as angry as you thought."

Kagome shook her head. "You have seen him. Normally, he keeps grumbling if something angers him, but this time he just stormed out of the room." She was silent for a while, finally coming up with something. "I think it is the complete contrary, he was even more affected than I thought. And now he is distancing himself, like he was in the beginning." She thought back to how Inuyasha had acted before they met Sesshoumaru the first time, how he had squished Myouga for talking about his mother, how he had kept sitting in a tree outside the village all the time.

"But I won't let him creep into his shell again!" Kagome declared with conviction. "I will drag him out if I have to." Inuyasha had opened up too much to let all her work be in vain.

Shippou interrupted her, "I don't think that it will be that easy. I mean, you cannot simply sit him until he gives up." When he saw that Kagome looked like she was contemplating that thought, he added, "Every time you sit him, he only gets grumpy." Inuyasha seldom gave in when Kagome sat him; he often even kept going until the miko would say the word again. It was something he would have to ask Inuyasha about, too: why he did things that would earn him a sit for sure.

"I think the best will be if you let him cool down." Shippou continued. "I will speak with him. He promised to train with me after dinner, maybe I can talk some sense into him. You can still try your ideas afterwards."

Kagome looked at him. "He wants to train with you again?"

"Yes, I had a talk with him yesterday evening. He told me that he will continue to train with me!" Shippou told her proudly.

"Really?" Kagome didn't understand the enthusiasm, but was glad for the fox nonetheless. "I'm glad that at least you are doing things right ..."

Shippou noticed that the miko trailed off. "Don't worry Kagome, Inuyasha might be stubborn, but you are even more so!"

"I will take that as a compliment," Kagome told the fox child. "And I hope you are right."

The two fell silent, joining Miroku and Sango. Kagome looked forward, seeing Inuyasha striding confidently as always in front of their group. He still wasn't as closed off as he had been in the beginning, she thought, or he wouldn't carry both her dinner _and_ her bike.

* * *

**January 20th, 2003**: Chapter 6 finished.

**December 06th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.

Almost the whole chapter was about Inuyasha's past and my interpretations of the events in the manga, I hope it isn't boring. The next chapter will have the plot advancing a bit, so please do not get impatient. Most things from Inuyasha's past will have some kind of impact, but I hope I'm not overdoing the past-is-important thing.

Again the next chapter might take some time, but I'm happy to tell you that I succeeded in the first three tests. Four more to go... I hope you appreciate this chapter, I'm risking my neck writing this for you. The next test is tomorrow :)


	8. Chapter 07: Come as you are

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings : **  
I again want to thank the reviewers; this time the fic only starts after a few pages because my answering to the reviews alone could almost fill a chapter (I guess it also indicates that I developed a slight addiction to writing and my mind is trying to compensate for the lack of time I was able to spend on it lately :-/).

A huge thanks to the ones giving me tips (Inuyasha and Kagome making up was asked most often ;)), and especially to _AngelsExist_ and _Chris-san_ for giving me very specific advice. It reassured me in the plot I have in mind ;)

**Reviews revisited : **

_Tori_ - Well, I am most delighted by your review (I can do the Miroku thing, too) :) I know Shippou sounds very sly sometimes, but I think he does that in the manga too. I'm glad you like the chapter length, it is actually much more fun writing that way. I hope I'm not inciting any aggressive moments between you and Tinuviel (talking like Miroku rocks)

_Chris-san_ - Thank you for your review. I would go as far as to say it was the best and most constructive review I got that far! I'm really glad that the button worked :).  
First, no I'm from Europe, but I hate it when I read a measurement in inch or something and have no idea how much that is, so I thought people from America would have the same problem with the metric system and added the imperial values.  
I guess the blank in IY's memory is rather unique. I'm not exactly sure how I should make him remember, everything at once (big bang) or slowly. I have to admit I have no experience with amnesia, and there's not much to find on the internet. Anyway, it were exactly my thoughts about Inuyasha's past that it also had to have its good moments. (Though I have to admit I have more cruel things on my mind)  
Telling the truth, I instrumentalized the quarrel a bit. But it's not even the end of the day, and they will clarify the misunderstanding. I think especially Kagome has to have a high tolerance level if she can keep up with Inuyasha :) I don't think I got the sulking part completely wrong, he does it a lot, for instance when Kagome goes to her time after they meet Kouga the first time.  
Still, you are right about the chapters and chapters about (useless) angst. I like darker chapters, but only if they make sense, so I hope my darker one's fall into that category. As for who trained him, I can't reveal my plot :)  
Finally, I'm glad you like my style and hope to get a review from you again. It hasn't to be that long every time (don't misunderstand me, it's _absolutely_ no problem), but I would like other constructive reviews very much! I'll try to do the same for your fics.

_AngelsExist_ - About meeting the kids, sorry, can't reveal my plot (Did I say too much?) :). Thanks for pointing out my errors, I completely overlooked those two! It's almost impossible to find all errors, especially in something I've written myself, so I'm very grateful for your help! You got extra mentioning in the author rantings for it :)

_alandrem_ - This chapter will contain nothing about Inuyasha's past, I have to clean up the misunderstanding first. The characters are developing nonetheless, I hope. I'm also glad that you are okay with Shippou :)  
And I have to thank you for a reviewer, who found my fic via your favorites. In return I think I will make a bit advertising for your fic in the next chapter, as I intend to copy the name you made up for Kagome's mother (like with Seibunishi, just the name), but she won't have that much appearance in my fic. If you don't want that, please tell me.  
Last but not least, when comes the next chapter of "Present Time" ??? :) I really like the length (and quality!) of your chapters, but they take so long... sighs

_Renangel_ - Uh, good luck with your tests? I hope yours go/went as well as mine. I got more help from learning than some (strange?) rituals, but maybe that works, too. :) Tell me if it did, I think dancing around is more fun than studying.

_usagipegusus_ - Here's the next chapter. This one isn't as long as the last one, but still quite long.

_Wedge_ - Thanks for admitting my superiority :) Well, if I didn't spend some time with spell checking and grammar fixing, the chapters would be awful, trust me. I write quite fast (I think), but I don't catch many errors while writing.  
I had to make up the strength of a hanyou child, but I think it is okay to say that he is as strong with seven years than a human teenager would normally be. The human adult would still be a problem, because of weight and reach disadvantages. On the other hand, Inuyasha is more durable and has claws and fangs. :)

_tamababymiko-chan_ - I agree, Inuyasha doesn't react logical. He doesn't often, and when he does, he sometimes even tries to hide it... I hope I got the quarrel balanced, because I wanted both of them have part of the guilt.  
I'm glad you review a lot, because your reviews are really good, not just a "Write more, slave!" :) The last flashback is a turning point in Inuyasha's past, from quite okay to not so okay...  
Well, you are lucky that your wishes are overlapping with my plot :) (it would be unrealistic that they had a huge quarrel just because of a side comment of Kagome). I'm glad you like my fic, and I hope you like this chapter too. Actually I found out that what I planned as one chapter will be two, 'cause it would be too long otherwise. I hope it doesn't look incomplete or something.

_nEw moDeL nO.15_ - I hope the latest chapters didn't contain too much fretting on Inuyasha's part... I think Inuyasha's short fuse is his main problem, because he goes ballistic much too easily, and is isolating/isolated in the process. I always asked myself why Inuyasha wanted to turn human, or why Kikyou wanted him to, and this was the most likely explanation that I could think of.  
I'm glad that my story is not only long but also of good quality. Personally I'm not that pleased with my first chapters, but I guess it's better to write new ones than to rewrite old ones.  
Yeah, I forgot about the music. I must say that "Coma White" is really good, beside it fits Inuyasha a bit. It has better melody and rhythm and is more diversified. "Last Day on Earth" is a bit monotonous in my opinion, and the text of "Coma White" is also better. I'll maybe use this song for one of my chapters, although it has a rival with "Frayed Ends of Sanity" from Metallica.

_Admiral Biatch_ - I have read a lot Star Wars books, but that was some time ago. That there's only one side of the force seems a bit of a contradiction to me, to the books as well as the movies. (You know, dark side making you ugly and everything)  
One good thing of writing your own fics is that everybody dances after your whistle. If you want to blow up Kikyou, you simply give Inuyasha a wand and there she goes :) For me it was nicer to write after the first few chapters, because I could write more relaxed. The first chapters were just stress.

_Merith_ - I don't know if what comes already defines as apology. But I think the chapter is in your consent. I warned you in the beginning that it won't be all-fluffy!

_dstrbd child_ - I do my best to keep errors out of my fic, but because English is not my native tongue, my writing has some flaws. I hope they are too aggravating. My greatest problem is the of/from thing. Is it "a comment of Kagome" or "a comment from Kagome"? I am guided by feel in this situations, so I the chances for right/wrong are 50/50 (I tend to "of" right now)

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - I hope you are not picking up bad words from my fic :) Kara, I see you are loyal, so I entrust you with ensuring that Wolf Moon reviews. Anyway, with my great wisdom and my even greater heart I have decided to forgive you and hereby offer you amnesty. I should become king, don't you think?  
Kenoko, you were saying something about Wolf Moon (or Alara?) not able to die. Just wanted to know how to do that, because I also don't plan to die anytime soon.  
I hope you don't go at each others throats because of me. After all, I don't want to lose my reviewers. :)

_MeghanK_ - I'm glad that you liked Inuyasha's outburst, it was really hard to write. I went over it for three days until I finally thought it worthy to be posted. At first it had too little emotion, than he _really_ seemed wimpy, until I finally found a mix I was satisfied with.  
I tried to write a childhood that seemed believable, and I don't believe that Inuyasha doesn't have any nice memories, even if they might be few.

**Disclaimer : **  
If you own Inuyasha and like this fic, you could hand the rights over to me. Until that happens, he stays yours.  
Chapter Epigraph is from _Nirvana_.

**Special thanks to :**  
_Kat Morning_, my comma specialist ;) Thanks for the tip with the salt!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Come, as you are,  
as you were,  
as I want you to be,  
as a friend. _

_**Come as you are**_

They sat around a campfire they had just started. Kagome looked around - everyone seemed glad to be able to rest their legs. Only Inuyasha didn't look to be affected, although he had carried the meat and the bike all the way and possibly just wanted to look tough.

They had kept walking until about an hour before sunset. Inuyasha had kept ahead, setting an acceptable pace. Kagome had fallen back to Miroku and Sango. Her friend had immediately joined her to discuss how things were going with Inuyasha. Although Sango had wanted to know details, Kagome had only told her what she had to know: that Shippou would try to talk to the stubborn hanyou during his training. Sango had agreed that it would be better to let the child try first. She had told Kagome that Inuyasha didn't look like he would have fun from hitting the child today, so he should be sincere in his offer.

Aside from that there hadn't been much talk - each of them had had some thinking to do. Kirara had shown up after some time, but went back to hunting when there didn't seem to be any trouble. Finally, Inuyasha had found a fine place to rest, just a bit off from the road.

Kagome watched Inuyasha as he sharpened a wooden rod with his claws. When the hanyou was satisfied with his effort, he unfolded his haori with the meat in it and put a piece on his makeshift spear, finally placing the meat over the fire.

Inuyasha looked at his companions – they were all just sitting around. "You not hungry?" Well, the less they wanted, the more for him.

Miroku was the first who spoke up. "Hungry I am, but I will not eat an animal."

"Don't worry, I still have some food from my time left," Kagome told the monk. "Just let me rest a minute until I regain my breath." She looked into the round, even Sango seemed tired. The way had been rising steep during the last part, and Inuyasha hadn't stopped until it got even because a place to rest was easier to find on even terrain. Beside Inuyasha, only Shippou seemed to be in a good condition, likely because he had sat on the monk's shoulder most of the time.

"You are stupid, Miroku. The deer is dead anyhow, if you eat it or not," Inuyasha mocked him. "And what I never understood, why do you eat fish if animals are sacred?"

"Things from the sea are no animals," Miroku lectured.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Feh!" No use discussing this subject with the monk, it always ended with some lame excuse. Well, it was no problem, there were still some of Kagome's rations left, though not enough for all of them. Perhaps he should have persuaded the merchant to sell them something, but he had had other things on his mind then. "I hope for you that we can buy something in the next village. I won't carry you around if you drop dead from hunger."

Kagome had rested enough and searched her rucksack for something for Miroku and Sango. There wasn't much left, so she gave them everything that was left: some ramen and a piece of bread. "That's all what is left. You will have to hold out until tomorrow. The ramen is with shrimp, so you don't have to worry about breaking your vow." She didn't understand why fish and shrimp were not animals, either, but as long as the monk ate them, it was fine with her.

"My dear Sango, my greatest concern is your welfare. Please accept my part of the meal."

At least Miroku didn't seem too hungry, Kagome thought, if he was still able to get off with Sango.

"Thank you for the offer, but I can't accept it," Sango replied. "You haven't had anything since breakfast, either."

"If you insist, I will share my part off the meal," Miroku told her with a grin.

"That's not what I said!" Sango complained good-naturedly.

Inuyasha rolled with the eyes as he watched the two bicker who would get how much food. Returning his attention to his own meal, he noticed that his meat seemed to be ready. He had no problem with eating it raw, but he had grown accustomed to preparing the meat when in company of others.

Inuyasha saw that Kagome was about to get up to find a spear for herself. He had kept thinking about her, and after she had said that he had misunderstood her, part of his mind still clung the hope that she could have meant something different, while another part told him that it was dangerous to think so. "Here, you can have mine," he said, throwing his rod over to the miko.

Kagome looked at the branch. Inuyasha kept doing controversial things, he just confused her more and more. He hadn't spoken a word to her since she had tried to explain the misunderstanding, and now he did something nice again.

"Thank you." She impaled a piece of flesh on the makeshift spear and held it over the fire. Shippou summoned a branch, but it looked crippled. "Hehe, what's that?" Inuyasha couldn't stop a snicker while he was eating.

"It's a spear!" Shippou insisted. He too used it to hold meat into the fire. At least it was long enough to let him hold the meat into the fire without burning himself.

When Inuyasha finished his meal, he waited until Kagome took his spear out of the fire. "I need it back, Kagome," he demanded, stretching his hand in her direction. She threw the rod back to Inuyasha, who caught it and placed another piece of flesh into the fire.

Shippou had finished his meal and impatiently looked at Inuyasha. "When are we going to train? The sun is setting soon!"

"Just let me finish," Inuyasha answered him.

Miroku looked surprised, because he hadn't heard of Shippou's training session yet. "You intend to continue the ... training? Are you sure you are the right person to do that?"

"Keh." Inuyasha snorted. "Shippou knows who to ask for training." He gave the fox a reassuring pat on the back, almost sending the youkai child into the fire. "Smart fox realized who is the strongest in the group," he said with a nasty grin directed towards Miroku.

"We should be on our way now," Inuyasha then said to Shippou, to avoid getting some comment in return from the monk. Getting his meat out of the fire, he explained, "I will enjoy my meal on the way." He stood up and shouldered his haori with the leftovers. "Rations for later... Come on, Shippou, let's go." With that, he vanished into the wood, the fox kid trailing behind him.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Miroku asked after a while. "I will not be responsible for any injuries of Shippou."

Sango shrugged. "I think this is Shippou's decision," she answered. "And I'm sure that Inuyasha knows that Kagome won't let him fool the kid."

"Kagome-sama, are you sure that you don't want to tell us what has happened between you and Inuyasha?" the monk queried. He and Sango still only knew that there had been a quarrel and that Inuyasha had stormed off into the woods.

"Yes, I'm sure. This is something we have to sort out ourselves," Kagome answered.

´_I'm not even sure if it was a good idea to tell Shippou,_´ she added only in her thoughts, not wanting the two to gang up on Shippou. She wondered if the kid's plan to get through to Inuyasha would work.

---------

Inuyasha was walking ahead of him, taking a few bites of what was left from his "rations". Shippou remembered that he had promised Kagome to talk with the stubborn hanyou. He planned to make some small talk, to bring up the topic when it seemed fitting. If he acted too rashly, Inuyasha would get angry and might even stop training him.

"Where are we headed?" Shippou asked. They had left the camp twenty minutes ago, and the child was beginning to wonder why they had to train that far away from the others.

Inuyasha ate the last remains of the cooked meat which he had been chewing on halfhearted, and swallowed afterwards. "I just kept walking until I finished my meal," he told the child, finally coming to a stop. Surveying his surroundings, he decided that this place was as good as any other. The forest was not too dense, but there were enough trees to play around a bit. He placed his haori next to a tree, and then walked back to Shippou. Taking Tetsusaiga out of the sash he sat down, motioning his companion to do the same.

"I think we will begin with flexing the claws," Inuyasha began once they were seated comfortable, the kid sitting a meter in front of him. He demonstrated what he meant, gesturing Shippou to try himself. The child imitated the movement, but Inuyasha was not satisfied. "You are flexing them too much. Open up the fingers more, until they form a smooth arc." He watched the kid slowly stretching his fingers until the position was right. "Stop," he told Shippou, who examined his hand to remember the posture.

Inuyasha continued to explain, "This way, your claws will do the most damage. If you flex them too much, you will cause only small gashes, and if you open your hand too much you can break off your nails."

Shippou watched at his hand even more carefully, the thought of breaking off his claws didn't sound exhilarating. Concentrating on the posture of his fingers, he did an unsure swipe.

"Good, I think it will be best if you try that on a tree now," Inuyasha encouraged his student, pointing at a tree with a rather thick trunk.

"No way!" Shippou whined. "I can't cut through that!"

"Idiot! Of course you can't cut that tree, you just have to swipe at it." He demonstrated again, with a very slow swipe, leaving claw marks in the trunk.

"Don't you do it faster usually?" Shippou asked, unconvinced.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of course, stupid. But usually I try to kill someone, not to let someone observe my movement." He made a short pause and finished his explanations. "As long as you are unsure, it is better if you flex your fingers too much than too little. Then you slowly unflex your claws just a bit with each swipe, until you find a comfortable position."

Shippou began to swipe at the tree, experimenting with the position of his claws. He soon found the position where it almost didn't hurt, and as the hanyou had said the notches he left were the deepest now. "How did you learn this, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked, trying to make conversation.

Inuyasha thought back. "I learned myself. Chichi-ue had left, and if we wanted a good meal, I had to catch it."

"Do you miss your father?" the fox wanted to know.

"Keh. All I remember are some really misty memories. I didn't know him, so why should I miss him?"

"Well, you know, I miss my father. I guess I'm really lucky I met you and Kagome," Shippou told the hanyou. "I wonder what he would think of it, he never liked dog youkai." The fox had to grin at the irony.

"Well, I guess he likes it better than having your fur used as a cap," Inuyasha told the child. Hiten and Manten would have gotten Shippou sooner or later if he had kept hunting after his father's murderers alone. The stupid fox had even wanted to bait them with the Shikon shards. "At least your dad did something useful saving Kagome's and your worthless hide."

Shippou made a face. "You don't have to talk about it so casually! He must have hated knowing that a dog demon saved his son," he complained.

"And I avenged his death, too!" Inuyasha added with a smirk. Shippou seriously feared for the peace of his father's rest, but came to the conclusion that he could do nothing about it except making his father proud, by getting stronger, for example. "I think I got that now," he said, indicating at the claw marks.

Inuyasha agreed, the sun was already setting and he still had one thing on his mind. "Would be really bad if you hadn't. Good, let's try something more difficult now. Before striking, pull back your shoulder. Then you swipe and when you are about to hit, you strengthen the strike with your whole body." He demonstrated again what he meant. "When you get the timing right, the attack is stronger, but it comes at the cost of speed, and you can lose your balance if you aren't paying attention. But you should always move your body with the strike at least a bit."

Shippou tried the advanced move on the tree again. The second try he missed the tree and, like Inuyasha had said, almost lost his balance. He noticed that he tore through the bark easier. "After you get the feel for it, you do it almost automatically," the hanyou commented.

While the kid continued to do variations of the strike, Inuyasha ate what was left of the meal. _'He's making good progress,'_ he thought as he watched the fox youkai slashing at the tree. The trunk looked really poor by now, sporting claw marks all over. A human seeing the tree would probably think that there were evil forces at work, not knowing that it was just a youkai child.

The sun had already vanished and Shippou realized that he didn't have more time left. "Inuyasha, why were you that angry this morning?" he asked. He kept looking at the tree, hoping that he had sounded casual.

"Keh. I wasn't!"

"You know, Kagome was really nervous afterwards," Shippou continued, ignoring the hanyou's denial. "I asked her what happened, and she told me you misunderstood her."

Inuyasha felt his heart beat quicker. What Shippou told him was basically the same what Kagome had told him herself when he had ignored her. Or better said, tried to ignore her. "She talked to you?"

Shippou stopped attacking the tree, and looked at Inuyasha instead. "Yes, on the way up to the cliff, while Miroku and Sango were out of hearing range. She told me that she only thought out loud. That she only wanted to say you should be more ... polite like the ... guys in her time," the fox child finished a bit uneasily.

´_Dammit!_´ Inuyasha thought. If what Shippou told him was true, he had acted like a complete idiot. She had offended him unintentionally, and he hadn't even let her clean up the misunderstanding. Still, what she had said had been a punch way below the belt, especially with that far away look that had been on her face. And a little voice in the back of his head told him that this didn't automatically mean that Kagome didn't have a problem with him.

Shippou sat down again and watched a myriad of emotions flickering over the hanyou's face. When Inuyasha finally settled for a thoughtful expression, the youkai child tried to reason with the stubborn half demon. "Come on, Inuyasha. How often have you offended her, even on purpose? You don't have to sulk all day when she shoots back once!"

"Keh! I have enough of people telling me who to be," Inuyasha burst out.

Shippou cheered inwardly. The hanyou looked like he had understood what Kagome had really wanted to say.

Inuyasha himself was getting more embarrassed when he realized that he had _showed_ a weakness of his. Until now only Kagome and Shippou knew, but what if they told somebody else? He was sure that he could coax or blackmail the fox, but the girl was a completely different matter.

"Oi Shippou, what we talked today stays between _you_ and _me_!" he commanded, offering the resting fox a piece of meat. "Or you can say goodbye to your training sessions."

Shippou nodded eagerly, not wanting to anger the dog demon, especially here in the middle of nowhere. "Promise!"

"Good. I think that was enough training for a day. Let's finish the meal and head back." The two quickly did away with what was left of the meat, both having no problem with raw flesh. Afterwards, the hanyou swung his now empty haori over the shoulder, not wanting to wear it because it still wasn't cleaned. Finally, he put Tetsusaiga through his sash again, placing it so he could easily reach the hilt.

They went back into the direction of the camp. Both had no trouble seeing in the dark, their demonic vision allowing them to make out the path without problem.

Inuyasha remembered that Miroku had made fun of the training. Fearing that Shippou would be offended if he found out that the 'dodging' training hadn't been for real, and tell the group his secret as revenge, he decided to tell the kid himself.

"Shippou," Inuyasha broke the silence after they had walked for a while, "I have to tell you something, too. I think it is better you hear it from me than from someone else."

"What is it?" the child asked somewhat curious.

"You know, when I was training yesterday with you, it was more fun than training." the hanyou told his trainee.

"It was only fun ..." Shippou trailed off, realizing. "Fun ... for you."

"Hey, try to follow your own advice and don't start to sulk. I did seriously train with you today, didn't I?" Inuyasha tried to justify himself. "And if I hadn't bonked you on the head yesterday, we would never have gotten the idea to start your training, anyway."

Shippou was still offended. "I want to get stronger, and you exploited that!"

"Hey, if you want to be angry at someone, be at Kagome. She didn't do anything to help you, remember?" Inuyasha grinned when he pushed the guilt on the miko, hoping that the brat would bug her instead. ´_Revenge for today, Kagome!_´ he laughed silently.

"You are right!" Shippou felt really exploited now. The hanyou had played around with him, but at least he tried to make up for it. But all Kagome did was sending him around to clear up _her_ mess.

"Don't you think that Kagome deserves revenge?" Inuyasha's grin widened when he suddenly had an idea. If she played around with his feelings, he might as well play around with hers...

---------

Kagome was listening to the regular breathing of Miroku and Sango. She wondered how long she was already lying there, unable to find sleep like her two friends. The fire had reduced to a glowing fervency, so she had curled up in her sleeping bag to keep warm. Although the days already had pleasant temperatures, the nights were still quite cold.

´_How are Inuyasha and Shippou?_´ Her thoughts kept spinning around the two demons. Had Shippou been able to talk Inuyasha out of his conclusion? Why hadn't they returned already? The sun had vanished behind the horizon an hour ago, and still there was no sign of the two.

She understood that Inuyasha was angry after her awkward comment - he had always been quick to anger, but he had never acted like he was this time. Could it be that he cared more about what she thought of him than he let on? Or was he envious at the people in her age? She hated always being left in the dark about the hanyou's thoughts.

It was the greatest problem between them: the fact that Inuyasha always kept his thoughts and feelings to himself with almost fanatical effort. She thought back to what he had told her two days ago, about the gap in his memory. If he had told her sooner, they could have used spare time to search for a cure, she could have asked doctors in her time what they thought about it. Even Kaede could know something about spells that affected one's memory.

But no, mighty Inuyasha did not need anyone's help. Instead he stoically kept the stupid facade of the tough demon. Other youkai also knew when to ask for help. Toutousai had asked for protection from Sesshoumaru, Shippou had asked for help with Hiten and Manten. Why was Inuyasha always too proud to tell them - or at least her - what troubled him?

She bet there was more to Inuyasha's story than him being just sold. There had to be a reason. She just couldn't believe that the people from the town he lived in had just sold him. Or had they? She remembered Jinenji and how quickly the people from his village had decided to kill him, although the horse hanyou had been living at the outskirts of the village his whole life as a peaceful farmer.

Her musings were cut short when Inuyasha and Shippou emerged from the woods. She looked at the hanyou and wondered what that grin meant, when he jumped up the nearest tree and settled himself for sleep. She hadn't spared Shippou a look until she noticed him sitting, obviously pouting, against the tree which Inuyasha was lying on.

"Shippou, what's wrong?" she asked, though she knew quite well why the child was angry. Inuyasha had messed with the fox youkai again. What did the hanyou think, taking his anger out on the poor kid?

Shippou didn't answer her but turned his head away instead. That just increased Kagome's anger. "Don't worry Shippou, I won't let Inuyasha hurt you anymore!"

Shippou glared at her. "It's too late to say that!" the fox child answered.

´_Eh?_´ Kagome thought, dumbfounded. What was going on with Shippou? She thought to hear a snicker from above the tree, but it could be her imagination. "What do you mean?" she asked him, not able to find out the meaning behind the kid's statement.

"What do I mean?" Shippou repeated the question, offended. How could she forget that she hadn't protected him when it had really been necessary? "Maybe I mean that you didn't help me when Inuyasha was _training_ 'dodging' with me?"

"Oh, you mean that," Kagome said, being sure this time that she had heard a snicker from Inuyasha.

Shippou was baffled by the miko's relief. Didn't it mean anything to her? "Yes, that's what I mean. You could have spared me a serious headache!"

Kagome pointed at the two sleeping figures. "It was their fault. Miroku and Sango were interrogating me, remember? I even tried to break free, but they held me back because they wanted to know what Inuyasha and I talked about."

Shippou felt pushed around. Inuyasha placed the guilt on Kagome. Kagome pointed at Miroku and Sango. If Miroku and Sango followed his prediction, they would either blame Inuyasha, completing the circle, or tell him that it was his own fault.

"I hope you didn't tell them anything," the hanyou interrupted from his branch. "I would not forgive you that."

Kagome looked up to him. Did that mean he had forgiven her? With time she had adjusted to Inuyasha and learned to read between the lines, but sometimes what he told her was just too vague. "I keep my promises," she assured him. "Don't be afraid, I will tell no one."

"Keh! Would be my own fault for trusting a traitorous human," Inuyasha sneered down from his heightened position.

"Excuse me?" Kagome said angrily, not shouting because she didn't want to wake Miroku and Sango. "I happen to be a human and I'm not traitorous!"

"Whatever."

Shippou coughed, trying to get attention. "I think both of you have to be blamed, because Inuyasha hit me on the head and you didn't stop him."

"See?" Inuyasha told Kagome. "Even Shippou thinks you are devious."

"Who hit him on the head?" she shot back.

"You are changing the topic," Inuyasha said, grinning down at her, partially glad that Kagome couldn't see it in the dark. If she saw even one tooth reflecting the moonlight, he could find himself on the ground really fast.

"You are doing it again! Why can't we have a normal conversation without you making fun of me? And then you wonder why I compare you to other guys?"

"Keh! At least I don't tell you to be more like Kikyou!"

Shippou watched the two, completely forgetting to be angry with them. At this rate they would be in the next quarrel before the last one was solved. Kagome had gone silent after that, just like Inuyasha, who possibly regretted what he had said but was too proud to take it back. Shippou sighed and wondered if there would ever be a reward for his hard work. "Come on, Inuyasha, you don't really mean that!"

"Keh! I mean it as much as she does!" Inuyasha snorted.

"I already told you that I didn't mean it!" Kagome remembered him.

"Fine! Then I ... Ah, just shut up!" He closed his eyes. "Good night!"

Shippou sighed mentally. Couldn't they be easier to coach? They both did their best to sabotage his effort to pair them off. He could almost imagine how easy things could be if both would be a bit more cooperative...

* * *

Inuyasha emerged from the wood, Shippou trailing behind him. Kagome immediately stood up when she spotted her friends.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" she asked concerned.

Inuyasha looked into her eyes, seeing the worry in them. "Yes, thank goodness Shippou explained everything. What would I have done without him?"

Kagome nodded, completely agreeing with the hanyou. _'Shippou's really reliable, isn't he?'_ she thought thankfully. Then she ran towards her love and threw her hands around his neck. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. It just slipped out!" she cried against his chest.

"I am sorry, too," Inuyasha said. He took her chin in his hand, lifting her face up until he looked into her beautiful, watery eyes. "If I hadn't been such a stubborn jerk, you wouldn't have had to worry so much." The anxious look she gave him almost broke his heart. "I love you, Kagome."

"I lo..." the rest was cut off when Inuyasha captured his love in a fierce kiss. Shippou stood at their side, congratulating himself for his good work.

* * *

"Shippou, are you still angry?" Shippou heard Kagome ask, the question startling him out of his daydream. The fox shook his head, mentally laughing at the surrealism of his thoughts. The chances of Inuyasha making up with Naraku couldn't be much worse.

Anyway, he could think of some worse scenarios, so maybe he should be glad that everything went well. They had at least both apologized ... sort of. The comment with Kikyou still hung between them, but Inuyasha had technically said that he didn't compare Kagome with Kikyou, with much interpreting.

Kagome watched Shippou. Although he shook his head at her question, he still looked depressed. Thinking of something to cheer him up, she opened her sleeping bag a bit. "Come on Shippou, I'll let you sleep here to make up for it."

Shippou looked at her, his resolve to letting her suffer melting away. He went over to Kagome and curled up in her sleeping bag, just his head looking out. "Traitor," he heard Inuyasha mutter from above. He stuck his tongue out and grinned at the hanyou.

Kagome looked from Shippou to Inuyasha. It looked like the hanyou had tried to pit them against each other, it would also explain the grin on Inuyasha's face when he returned from Shippou's training. And it was just so like Inuyasha! "Is something the matter?" she asked in him in her sweetest voice.

Inuyasha shifted on his branch until his back was turned towards them. "Good night!" he barked.

Kagome wanted to question Shippou, but knew that the hanyou would hear every single word of it. She gave Shippou a questioning look, trying to communicate nonverbally, but the kid couldn't do much more than smiling back encouragingly. Accepting that she would have to wait until tomorrow, she laid her head back.

She kept thinking about what Inuyasha had said. ´_At least I don't tell you to be more like Kikyou._´ She hoped that he didn't mean it, he had looked like he was sorry for what he had said and also spluttered something that could be understood - or misunderstood - as an apology. He could have meant he didn't want her to be like Kikyou, but maybe that was just wishful thinking.

She wondered about Kikyou and her place in Inuyasha's heart. Kagome had interrupted some very private moments between the two. What was more confusing was the fact that he couldn't seem to decide. He had told her, after they had found out about Kikyou's soul snatching, that he liked them both.

When Inuyasha had decided for Kikyou, she had been destroyed. He hadn't told her if that had changed in recent times, and Kikyou had made herself scarce. Somehow things had gone back to the way they had been before, letting her in the dark again.

Kagome looked down at Shippou, who was already sound asleep. She guessed it had been a hard day for him, especially with the training he had gotten himself into. She would have to talk to him tomorrow to make sure that Shippou was really being trained and not just taken advantage of. The child had been angry, and with right, just at the wrong person. Had Inuyasha really thought that he could incite the child that easily?

She really owed Shippou for today. He had not only talked to Inuyasha for her, but had also broken the uneasy silence after the hanyou had said that he didn't tell her to be like Kikyou.

Did he want her to be more like Kikyou? She couldn't help sometimes comparing herself to her previous incarnation. After all, the priestess had been refined and composed. Sometimes she wanted to know who Inuyasha preferred, but she could hardly ask him. ´_Hey Inuyasha, who do you like more, me or Kikyou?_´ Well, she had some crucial advantages, she wasn't dead, she didn't want Inuyasha dead, and she spent most of her time with him. It was high time that the stubborn hanyou started to appreciate that!

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was still awake up in the tree. He hadn't moved since he had shifted away from them, but his ears had been turned in the direction of Kagome and Shippou all the time.

The fox fell asleep quickly, but the girl took her time. Faking sleep, he hoped that Kagome would join the youkai child soon. If he moved now while she was awake, she would maybe start a conversation again.

His plan to let Shippou keep his secret had completely backfired. Although Miroku and Sango hadn't moved, he could tell that they had been awake during the latter half of the conversation. Although they had tried to breathe evenly, he wasn't fooled by them. _'Especially when they held their breath to understand quietly spoken words better.'_ The two had already drifted off into sleep again, maybe after sharing their thoughts through grimaces.

So the two had also caught why he had been angry. Big deal. In retrospect, it wasn't that bad. Anyone would get fed up after being told to be like some other guy, right? He bet that even Miroku, who usually was tranquillity incarnate, would be offended if Sango told him ... why he had to have a hole through his hand. Or something like that.

So, Inuyasha thought that his pride should be intact. What worried him much more was that he would have to talk to Kagome tomorrow. He hoped that he wouldn't make a complete fool out of himself. Now that he thought about how he acted around her, he realized that he might have been a bit rough towards her.

He hadn't really thought about it until now, because it was how he _always_ acted around Kagome - hell, around everyone. There were some exceptions, when he had been really afraid for her, when he had been nice to her. He could be nice if he wanted to! It just was, well, the exception. Today's events made him realize that he should watch his demeanor around Kagome a bit.

The problem was that he wasn't really good at interacting with other people. Fact was that he often didn't know what was wanted or expected of him, and all he could do was putting distance between himself and the problem, not wanting to embarrass himself. He did it out of instinct, and it was very hard to act against it. Sometimes, when he thought he had figured something out, Kagome would sit him, and he didn't even know what for.

He noticed that Kagome had finally fallen asleep like the rest of his group. Her breathing wasn't as even as usual, possibly she was already dreaming about something. He shifted into a more comfortable position on his branch, not making any noise to avoid waking the people below his tree. Not that it was likely, he sometimes wondered how they could be that much at ease while they slept... Kagome especially seemed completely oblivious of her surroundings while asleep. Her time had to be really safe, or she wouldn't have developed such a deep state of sleep.

For being such a guarded girl, she had actually become a force to be reckoned with. She had helped them out numerous times, with Kagura, with Kanna, with Naraku. Her purifying arrows had been a great help in some perilous situations.

She also was easily angered, partially from her strong sense of justice, partially from her short temper. She definitely was the incarnation of a miko, with enough power to destroy evil and the will to do so. Unlike Kikyou, though, Kagome's feelings sometimes got the better of her. She acted like she had a death wish sometimes.

Kagome also was more sensitive; it seemed that she differed from her previous incarnation in that aspect. Kikyou had never been affected by his bad manners, or at least she hadn't showed it. Now he wondered if he had sometimes hurt her back then and Kiykou had only been too proud to show it. Anyway, Kagome was definitely _not_ too proud to show, and he would have to work on himself if he didn't want to upset her three times a day. ´_I've made too much progress to quit now._´

He was actually quite proud of himself. In just a few months he had been able to relax around her. He was even able to sleep in the same room as his friends, even if he woke up often. In that light Miroku's habit of finding 'evil spirits' in the house of the richest citizens was really a blessing. Rich people had big houses with big rooms, in which he had at least some space for himself. Still, there was nothing better than to sleep up a tree.

* * *

**February 2nd, 2003** : Chapter 7 finished.

**December 11th, 2004** : Last revision of the chapter.

That's it, folks! I really had not much opportunity to write the last ten days. I hope I'm not sounding like good old Kagome, "I have to learn for my tests!" Anyway, now are holidays, I finished all my tests, I don't go snowboarding for a week like a planned to, so you can count on an update in a week, maybe sooner.

For those of you who are asking who will make an appearance, I can tell you that Sesshoumaru will appear for sure, and Kouga most likely (but both only later in the fic...). I really want to bring Kikyou into the whole mess, though until now I haven't really figured out where she would fit in, and I don't want a forced appearance. But the Kikyou/Inuyasha/Kagome triangle Rumiko Takahashi has made up is just too weird to be left alone, so I hope I will get an idea where to bring her in. At least she has a passive role until now.

I hope you like the making up. Sorry, I can't imagine Inuyasha becoming social all of a sudden. I couldn't resist writing the daydream of Shippou, I hope it doesn't destroy the flow of the story :)


	9. Chapter 08: Twist of Fate

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Reviews revisited : **

_usagipegusus_ - I'm glad that Shippou's daydream was received fine. I actually worried, but many people seemed to like it. So here's the next chapter!

_Sakura-Hikaru_ - Mess. That's one of the reasons I'm actually writing this story. _Mess_. I love mess. Just read the title epigraph :)  
But, I can promise you that there is still much time before Kouga will show up, so I hope this eases your mind a bit. I'm glad that you agree with how I portrait Inuyasha. There are fics out there who transform Inuyasha into Don Juan.

_MeghanK_ - I also think that Inuyasha has to work on his manners. I think he actually tries in the anime, too; there are some scenes where you notice that he's learning.  
I think remembering _everything_ through dreams would be unrealistic (that's why I didn't think about them at all, stupid me), beside there will be no need for that. But I did have a problem with the plot, and thanks to your suggestion, I got an idea how to fix it - he will have some nightmares. The answer right before my nose... Thanks for the help :)

_Aldrean Treu Peri_ – I agree that Inuyasha is a very mistrusting person, and since he was pinned to the tree by Kikyou he must have an even greater problem. But he wants to open up - he just has some problems adjusting. At least that's how I see it. Well the journey goes on, and I'm not thinking about ending it too soon :)

_alandrem_ - Thanks again for letting me borrow Asami - I know it's an usual Japanese name, but it's still copying (at least a bit).  
Anyway, the corrections were really good, and thanks for pointing out that there is no comma needed after all those periods, though I really didn't get what you meant with removing the periods in some cases. I tried it out, and it looked really strange to me...  
I'll read what you finally posted directly after I post this chapter, I just read the beginning and was happy about the "Thanks to Chri" :)

_tamababymiko-chan_ - I guess you'll like this chapter, at least most of it. I think I have to disagree with logic, I think he still is very confused. But he tries his best :)  
What do you mean with you can't say anything about Kagome, is there something wrong? Do you have any suggestions? If so, please tell me! She is really hard to write for me sometimes, and I really want to make her believable!  
Well I guess Sesshoumaru or Kouga look cute to a girl, maybe also because Sesshoumaru is cool kicking ass, and Kouga is better in the romantic part than Inuyasha. Inuyasha has another disadvantage, evil Kagome always sits him when he is about to settle it with Kouga...  
Uh, fact is I have absolutely _no_ idea where to put Kikyou in, as much as I want to. I think even if I get one, she will have a rather short appearance...  
Hope you had luck with your basic standards!

_Star Phoenix_ - I'm glad to have got another new reader. I guess that's one disadvantage for posting long chapters, your story doesn't get known as fast because you aren't at the top of the list so often... Hope to read from you again!

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - So you are all okay, I'm relieved. :) Stpo the quarrels, Love and peace! :) I hope you like this chapter, it stays nice most of the time (it might be the last one for some time, if I don't miscalculate my chapter lengths.) I don't have the chapters planned out, so I just write my plot until I find a nice stop. But I guess you won't find this stop nice hehehe

_InuYasha-Demon-Girl_ - I'm glad you like it, so much actually to put me on your favorites list. I think I got this chapter really fine, though the ending might be a bit cruel (for the readers) :) Well, I like talking with my reviewers, it's actually really fun.  
In the beginning writing was just stress, but now I write the chapters quite normal, and responding to the reviews is just relaxing :)

_DJ dragon princess_ - Glad to read from you too. It's not much work leaving a short review, is it? :) I'm glad that I chose a song from Nirvana, because unlike most of the other songs it's well known and people can relate with it. My usual music taste is rather out of the ordinary, but well, I can tell you just because something isn't popular, it doesn't mean it's bad (goes vice versa).

_Anime-05_ - Nice to see you again! If you want to, you can send me your chapter and I'll read it. If you do, be prepared, I won't spare with criticism :) I already have a bit beta-reading experience now, so I might not be the worst choice. Well, it's up to you :)  
Inuyasha is nice for the time being (well as nice as he can get), but there are rough times ahead. I'm so evil :)

**Disclaimer : **Still not mine.

**Special thanks to : **

_Alandrem_ for beta-reading, and also letting me beta-read :) I didn't realize it would be such a huge help to have someone read it _before_ you post it. I hope I could return the favor.

And also to _MeghanK_ for giving me a small inspiration and rubbing my nose into something I should have seen myself.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_You hate when you start to think about  
things in life that could have been,  
Too late, it's not gonna turn around,  
can't escape the mess you're in. _

**_Twist of Fate_**

The next morning, Kagome awoke first. She looked up to find Inuyasha still asleep. ´_Strange, he's oversleeping again,_´ she thought first, but noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise, providing her with the sight of a beautiful dawn. ´_Or maybe I'm starting to develop irregular sleeping habits..._´

None of her friends was awake and she tried to fall asleep again, but the events of the last days kept dancing through her head. She turned around every few minutes and became even more awake. After a while she had enough and stood up, hoping that she would be able to sleep after a small walk.

"Morning..." she heard from behind her. She quickly spun around to find Inuyasha standing there. "Don't scare me like that in the morning!" she muttered, releasing the breath she had been holding.

"Keh! It's not my problem if you are scared so easily!" Inuyasha shot back, but seemed to contemplate after that. "Why are you awake?"

"I don't know. I just woke up early, I guess..." Kagome trailed off. "Why are you up already?"

"I just wanted to see if everything is all right. Got a problem with that?"

Inuyasha mentally smacked himself after his reply. Not even six hours ago he had told himself to be polite to Kagome, and now he was doing his best in pissing her off. ´_Think of something nice..._´ "Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked while checking out Miroku, Sango and the fox brat with his ears. They were asleep for real this time, but he didn't want to risk being overheard again. He also found it more comfortable to talk while doing _something_, even if it was only going in a circle.

Kagome nodded, and they set out. Inuyasha swung his haori over his shoulder, although he had cleaned it with grass early that morning, it still smelled a bit, even if it was much better and Kagome maybe didn't even notice it. He thought of something to break the silence, and came up with a "Are you tired?" after some time.

"No - at least not after you scared me awake."

Inuyasha grinned. "Well, I think we are even then."

"Did I scare you awake?" she teased him.

"Keh. Of course not. You were just making too much noise!" the hanyou clarified. There was an uneasy silence afterwards, both not knowing what to say, avoiding what was obviously between them: Kikyou.

"So, you couldn't sleep?" he asked after a while.

Kagome felt a bit uneasy. "Ummm, what do you mean?"

"You were shifting around all night," Inuyasha told her. He had had a sleepless night thanks to her. He had noticed Kagome wake up a few times. She had also had problems with falling asleep. "Did you have nightmares?"

She waited for a while before she answered. "No, I didn't. I just kept ... thinking." Kagome paused, but unlike Inuyasha she didn't keep things to herself. "You know, about me and Kikyou. If I am just her reincarnation; if I am like her. If I should be more like her."

Inuyasha kept silent for a while. "I meant what I said yesterday," he told her finally, finding the ground in front of him very interesting.

Kagome looked at him, shocked. ´_At least I don't tell you to be more like Kikyou!_´ Inuyasha's words repeated themselves in her mind. "What do you mean?"

"That I don't want you to be like Kikyou." Inuyasha kept staring at the ground while he walked, his arms folded in front of him. He hated this moments, he never knew what to say. "I also told you before that you are not Kikyou."

Kagome was partially relieved. "What do you want to say with I'm not Kikyou?"

"I mean that you are two different people, you both have your good and your bad sides," Inuyasha answered. "You shouldn't compare yourself with her." He turned around, indicating that they he wanted to walk back. This discussing was becoming too uncomfortable for his liking.

Kagome, surprised, turned to follow him. This was the first time that Inuyasha told her that he didn't want her to be like Kikyou. Until now all he ever told her was that she wasn't like Kikyou, that Kikyou looked better, that Kikyou was better with the bow. "I also like you how you are, Inuyasha. You just could be a bit more considerate sometimes."

"I won't run around like some weakling just because you want me to!" Inuyasha burst out.

Kagome sighed. ´_Do I hope for wonders?_´ she thought wistfully. "Being considerate doesn't make you weak."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, not knowing how to answer. ´_Nonsense,_´ he thought, but was sly enough to keep that to himself. ´_Of course it makes you weak._´ He was glad when they reached the camp, and jumped up his tree. "Try to sleep some more!"

Kagome crawled into her sleeping bag, again watching out not to awake Shippou. She looked around to make sure everything was okay. After spending much time in a demon infested age she had learned to watch her surroundings. "Don't worry," she heard from up the tree, "I'm on the lookout." She looked up, seeing Inuyasha settling himself against the trunk in a sitting position. "You can't have your eyes everywhere!" Kagome told him.

Inuyasha grinned down at her. "Doesn't matter," he said, tapping his nose. "You don't have to worry - they won't get past my nose."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

He turned away. "Keh! Better get some sleep, I'll wake you soon enough!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. Trust Inuyasha to spoil the moment. She closed her eyes, feeling protected in his presence, and also relieved, now that she had some reassurance concerning Kikyou.

She sighed when she realized that Inuyasha had once again avoided telling her whom he preferred, saying that they both had their good and bad sides. She wondered if she would ever get an explicit compliment from Inuyasha.

---------

Miroku awoke two hours later. He turned around, finding Sango still asleep, lying a few meters away from him - out of the reach of his hand. ´_Old habits die hard._´

The last day had begun really well; when he had tried out Shippou's advice, Sango had let him put his arm around her waist. Although she had elbowed him the second time he tried, she had only told him that the timing was bad.

But then, in all the chaos around Inuyasha and Kagome, there hadn't been any time for more. Sango had been much more worried about her friend, leaving him to look after Shippou. At least at dinner they had had a bit time for themselves, but after Inuyasha and Shippou had left, Sango had joined Kagome again.

If Inuyasha and Kagome continued acting the way they were, his cute youkai huntress would be distracted all the time. _'Or maybe she just wanted some time to think?'_ Many women spent insane amounts of time contemplating if they should enter a relationship or not.

He wondered if Sango was one of them. Thinking of it, she had to be - she had only talked about unimportant things with him. Therefore, Miroku combined, if she didn't talk about a relationship, she had to think about one. And if she was thinking about a relationship, a nice evening would help her to talk about one – maybe together with some sake? Again he was pleased with his immense knowledge of the female mind.

He watched Sango sleeping there, breathing regularly. He should be damned if he failed, Sango would be the best catch he had ever made. She was not only a beautiful, but also a strong willed and intelligent woman. He also liked that she had gotten some education, although probably not as much as him. But that was only logical, after all her craft was more concentrated on the physical world.

However, this intelligence was what made her hard to get. She could see through most of his pick-up lines. He sighed - intelligence was indeed a curse and a blessing. Still, he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy their arguments, it was really refreshing to be able to discuss with someone who was able to outwit him sometimes. She was perfect - a sharp mind behind that beautiful body.

´_Oh, the body!_´ he thought. From what he had been able to feel until then, it was really promising. He never could decide if she looked better in her kimono or her battle dress. The kimono fitted her really well, but she looked really cute when clothed for a fight. And, her battle gear was more revealing.

"Oi monk, what are you smiling about?" Inuyasha asked from his tree.

Miroku recovered quickly. "It's better to begin a day with a smile, don't you think, Inuyasha?"

"Depends on who you are grinning at," the hanyou retorted.

"Do you have the impression that I'm laughing at you?" Miroku asked, giving Inuyasha his most innocent look. He didn't want the hanyou to catch that he had been watching Sango, so he thought it would be better to distract him by teasing.

"Bah. How should I know? I don't have the perverted mind of a thievish monk." Inuyasha snorted. "I wonder what Sango would think about your grin."

´_Looks like I shouldn't grin at Sango like that if even Inuyasha thinks I'm looking like a pervert,_´ Miroku thought. But the hanyou was the wrong one to instruct him. "At least I know how to compliment a woman."

"Keh. At least I don't grab the ass of every woman that runs along my way."

"Could you two stop?" Shippou cut in, looking out from Kagome's sleeping bag. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I only grab Sango," Miroku told Inuyasha, ignoring the kid. "But don't tell her I said that."

Inuyasha checked Sango, she was still asleep. Too bad. It would have been fun to see how the she would have responded to that comment. _'Most possibly with Hiraikotsu,'_ Inuyasha thought. "I won't meddle in your affairs if you don't meddle in mine," the hanyou offered with a smirk.

Miroku grinned back. "Deal. So, have you reconciled with Kagome?" From what he had heard yesterday, Inuyasha had been sulking because Kagome told him the boys in her time were better. In the end, they had returned to something resembling peaceful terms. He hoped they would not make any problems, also because he wanted Sango for himself and not worrying about Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Why do you ask?" the hanyou replied. "Do you think I didn't notice your eavesdropping?"

Miroku was a bit surprised, but not too much. ´_Figures that I didn't fool the attentive hanyou._´ He quickly thought of an excuse, "I merely didn't want to disturb your discussion yesterday, as it seemed important to me." He gave the dog demon a curious stare. "So, how is it going between you and Kagome?"

Inuyasha turned red. "There is nothing going on between Kagome and me!"

"That's not what I heard yesterday," the monk kept teasing. "It sounded like a lovers quarrel to me."

"Keh! Mind your own business. Sango's waking up," Inuyasha informed Miroku.  
-

When Sango opened her eyes, she found Miroku's staring into hers. "Good morning, Sango," he greeted her, not averting his intense gaze. She felt very self-conscious - had he been watching her in her sleep? She settled for a neutral, "Good morning, Houshi-sama."

Miroku's smile faltered a bit, but he hid his disappointment about her formal way of addressing him.

Inuyasha had enough and jumped down his tree. "Now that everyone is up and about, we can finally continue." Then he remembered that one member of their group didn't include to that statement. He went over to Kagome, kneeled down and shook her shoulders.

When she finally decided that ignoring him wouldn't work, she looked up to the impatient hanyou leaning over her.

"Come on, Kagome, everyone is waiting for you."

"Not true," Shippou said from beside her, and got a hit on the head for it.

"Don't mess with me," Inuyasha threatened, although with a slightly playful tone. "But really, we have to get going," he said, earning curious looks for his serious tone.

"I'm hungry."

Kagome sighed. "Can't you think of anything else than food?" His eating manners reminded her more of a real dog digging into his bowl than a human. In the beginning he had even eaten a rabbit he had caught without preparing it in any way – he had ended with blood smeared all over his face. Not a very pretty sight.

"Keh! If I was as careless as you, we would have starved to death long ago. And 'Fish-are-not-animals'-sama doesn't look like he will eat out here." Inuyasha snorted, pointing at Miroku.

"What happened to the deer?" Kagome asked before the monk could respond to the insult. "There was plenty left yesterday."

Inuyasha looked a bit reluctant. "I was hungry..."

Kagome sat up. "You ate it all?!?" There had been enough left to fill all of their stomachs this morning.

"Shippou helped," the hanyou defended himself.

"That's not true, Kagome," the fox whined, pulling at her sleeve. "I only ate a little piece. Only one, very small piece!"

"Keh! The deer was mine anyway!" Inuyasha told them, his confidence suddenly back. "You can be glad I shared with you!"

Miroku watched Sango watching the argument. If the hanyou didn't stop squabbling with Kagome soon, her attention would be diverted all the time. Standing up, he said, "Now that Inuyasha has been kind enough to wake everyone, we can as well get going."

That seemed to please Inuyasha. He leaned against a tree and impatiently tapped his foot against the ground while the rest packed their bags. If he noticed the annoyed looks of his companions, he didn't show it. The hanyou gave a grunt when everyone was finally ready. "You finished?"

"If we weren't fast enough for you," Miroku answered, "you could have lent us a hand."

"Do your stuff yourself!" Inuyasha retorted. "So, any objections if we try to find the next village?"

They set out. Kagome was on her bike, giving Shippou a ride. Although it had to be quite obvious to Inuyasha and there probably wasn't much the kid could tell her, she still wanted to talk to Shippou in private. She brought some distance between herself and her friends, with the kid sitting in the basket of her bike.

At the beginning he was reluctant to tell her, but she quickly changed his opinion with the promise of chocolate. As expected, she already knew most things that Shippou told her - like Inuyasha not wanting to behave differently or that he didn't miss his father. The hanyou hadn't shown any signs of discomfort while fighting in his father's _corpse_ with his half brother.

The only thing that really interested her she couldn't bring the fox to tell: how he had explained the misunderstanding. He kept saying that he had given Inuyasha his word. And that she wouldn't be there when the hanyou took his revenge for breaking it.

At least the description of Shippou's training sounded like Inuyasha was taking it seriously. She wasn't sure if she liked Shippou learning to use his claws as deadly weapons - in her eyes he was just a child - but the rational part of her mind told her that it was something the youkai child had to learn and, moreover, he seemed to like it.

While he described what he had learned Shippou's voice was so excited that it was clear that he was having fun. He almost seemed too excited - as if he was venting something that had boiled in him for a long time. She guessed that, like many animals, youkai learned to fight through play. It wasn't that different with humans, she remembered that especially boys seemed to have great fun playing, like ball games or battling with imaginary weapons.

---------

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was grilled by Miroku and Sango again. They had taken him into their midst and kept asking him: about the mysterious talk he had had with Kagome two days ago, why he had thrown Miroku, where he had learned that. The hanyou's throat was becoming sore from "Keh!"s and growling.

He was especially embarrassed when he was asked why he got that offended when Kagome compared him to the guys from the future. The only good thing was that they had only heard about his outburst, so he was doing relatively well denying it.

"You know what, Inuyasha?" Miroku said, throwing a companionable arm around the hanyou, who obviously found it very uncomfortable but refrained from batting it away. "If you want to avoid such situations in the future, you should try to understand Kagome better."

"Keh! How could anyone possibly understand her?" Inuyasha asked.

"You know, Inuyasha, the mind of a woman is ..." Miroku became aware of Sango beside Inuyasha - the youkai hunteress was giving him an interested look. "But that's beside the point. What is important is that you have to know her better, and that she will get to know you better in the process."

´_That pretty much sums it up,_´ Inuyasha thought. It all depended on if he - and Kagome too - if they were willing to allow the other into their privacy. He guessed that also was something his relationship with Kikyou had lacked, or rather still lacked - they both kept their secrets to themselves. In the long run, he didn't think that a relationship could last without being able to trust each other. He didn't know how deep his trust was or could become, or how far Kagome trusted him, either. The prayer beads were a painful reminder of how far her trust _really_ went.

But being truthful, the biggest problem was that he was undecided about Kikyou. He had chosen Kikyou – or so he had thought. The last day's happenings showed him that he couldn't ignore Kagome just like that. When he had decided for Kikyou, he had wanted to solve his problems once and for all. Instead, he had just displaced them. Instead of not knowing what to do about Kikyou, now he didn't know what to do about Kagome. One way and the other, he felt split between the two. He didn't know how to chose, or if he even wanted to. _'Damn, they're both important to me! Is that such a problem?'_

Miroku watched the hanyou fall silent - not the reaction he had expected. He gave Sango a questioning glance, but she just shrugged, not guessing either what was going on in the dog demon's head.

"I think I can give you a tip," Sango offered. "I know for sure that Kagome is very unsure what your feelings towards Kikyou are. Whatever they are, I think you should tell her the whole truth." That actually was something she had wanted to tell the hanyou for quite some time. She hurt with her friend every time she saw Inuyasha with the undead priestess, and it was high time that the hiding game ended.

That only served to send Inuyasha deeper into his thoughts. From what the miko had told him earlier this morning, he guessed that Sango was right. The uncertainty he had felt the last afternoon, maybe she felt this uncertainty all the time. ´_Definitely not a nice feeling._´ Still, he felt somewhat uneasy about sharing his thoughts with Kagome, especially about such a delicate subject.

"Maybe you're right," Inuyasha admitted. He fell silent again.

Sango felt sorry for him and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Whatever you tell her, please don't hurt her." How that was possible if he still loved Kikyou was beyond her comprehension, but she had to tell him nonetheless.

Inuyasha nodded, silently promising her to do his best. He thought he owed her that much. Sango seemed to be pretty confident, but the last day's occurrences still left him feeling a bit unsure, even if Kagome had said that she liked him how he was. Did everything have to be that complicated? "You don't have anything better to do than sticking your nose in other's affairs, do you?" he accused, trying to ease the mood.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Miroku replied. Inuyasha had to admit silently that there wasn't much else to do than prying into each others' private lives. To tell the truth, he would have really appreciated another youkai wanting to take their shards instead of this peaceful gossip. _'A really stupid one at the best - with a large shard of the Shikon jewel,'_ Inuyasha thought longingly. And a nice neck to cut through with Tetsusaiga. A good fight was long overdue after all the stress he had had the last day.

"Oi Inuyasha, will you stop spacing out?" Miroku tapped his staff against the hanyou's head, being much more careful after having been thrown the last time he tried that. Inuyasha focused on reality once more, scowling at the monk.

"Will you stop that?" the hanyou threatened.

"That's our Inuyasha!" Miroku laughed at him.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. He was degenerating from the feared demon to a joke character. Just a year ago, nobody would have dared to laugh him into his face. Well, the time at the Goshinboku not counted. But he had to admit, companionship was worth one joke or another at his expense.

---------

They found the village Aiko had told them about last afternoon. Especially Miroku and Sango looked really relieved - they hadn't had much for dinner the last evening. The others were also hungry, as neither of them had had anything for breakfast.

It was no great surprise when Miroku jokingly told them that he sensed an evil spirit in the house whose inhabitants were obviously the richest in the village. With trained ease the monk knocked at the door, but paused after the second knock. He turned his head back to his fellows, a surprised expression on his face. "Believe it or not, but it looks like we will have to earn our meal this time. There really _is_ something in this house."

---------

Toshiaki was enjoying some sake, drinking directly from the jug because his wife wasn't watching, when he heard someone knocking. He got up, cursing quietly under his breath, and staggered towards the entrance. When Toshiaki slid open the door, he found the strangest group standing outside.

There was a man directly in front of him with a rosary around his arm. Two girls were standing behind the monk, one of them was wearing something he had definitely never seen before. The cat sitting on the shoulder of the normal girl had two tails, while the boy sitting on the shoulder of the other girl had feet that looked like some animal's. Both girls had a really annoyed look on their faces. On the other hand, the boy standing next to them was grinning from one ear to the other with ... anticipation? Weren't those fangs his smile revealed a bit longer than usual? And, were those ears on the top of his head?

Toshiaki threw the bottle over his shoulder, hearing it break when it hit the floor. "Damn sake," he grumbled and closed the door again. He was going to complain to Iwane, right after he had slept out his intoxication. _'You're not supposed to have hallucinations after a few sips of sake!'_

---------

Outside, the group was looking completely dumbfound. A man had opened with a sake jug in the hand, looked around, thrown the bottle behind him, and finally closed the door again.

"Was that the youkai?" Sango asked.

"I didn't sense anything strange from him," Miroku answered.

Inuyasha was wrinkling up his nose. "Beside the smell of his breath, you mean."

The monk nodded with a smirk and knocked again. After nobody opened he continued to bang against the door in a steady rhythm, until the man finally opened again.

"You still there?"

"Yes." Miroku bowed. It would be ridiculous if he couldn't get a deal if there really was a youkai in the house. "Good man, we come to warn you of a vengeful spirit in your house. I am Miroku", he bowed again, "and these are my friends. We offer help in return for shelter this night."

The man seemed more interested with the rest of the group, finally convinced that he wasn't imagining things. _'What a pity to lose good sake that way...'_ he thought grumpily. "Toshiaki, pleased to meet you. What's with them?" he asked and waved at Miroku's friends, almost losing his balance in the process.

"These are very strong demon hunters, some of them even have youkai blood themselves," Miroku went on. "I can assure you that you will find no better youkai exterminators than us."

"Damn right!" Inuyasha commented.

Toshiaki gestured them to come inside. The splinters of the jug were still lying on the floor in a large pool formed by the sake that had been inside the bottle. They were greeted by his wife, whom Toshiaki introduced them as Madoka. She gave them a friendly smile, but a hint of annoyance showed on her face when her eyes strayed over her husband.

Miroku bowed to her. "Lady Madoka, a vengeful spirit is haunting your home. We offer to exorcise it and merely want a meal and a place to sleep for the night in return."

Toshiaki and his wife discussed the matter, and decided that there was more to be gained than lost. They told them that they would be honored to offer shelter to tired wanderers for a night.

Miroku took the lead, entering what seemed to be a living room. It was arranged with expensive furniture and even a few paintings. On a cupboard were some figurines, all of them various animals. Miroku went to expect them. ´_Hmmm, nothing of real worth,_´ he thought, judging the statues with an exercised eye.

On the other side, one figurine was quite interesting.

He was startled by Inuyasha. "Which one is it? I'll smash it apart!" the hanyou shouted impatiently, drawing Tetsusaiga.

Toshiaki wondered how such a huge sword could fit in the scabbard. Maybe it wasn't such a shame that the sake was lost after all.

Miroku griped the figurine of a crow and smashed its head against the edge of the cupboard. The figurine suddenly made a pained shriek, scaring Kagome into crouching slightly, preparing to jump back. The figurine grew, forcing Miroku to throw it in the corner of the room as it became heavier.

The figurine continued to transform, until there was a strange mix between bird and man standing before them. He had the head of a crow with a really big beak, and wings unfolding at his back. But the whole body was that of a human, although the skin was completely black, and the feet had claws. He was clothed in a red kimono, and had a staff like Miroku's in his hands. It had fewer rings, but otherwise they were identical.

Inuyasha wanted to attack, but Miroku blocked the hanyou with his staff. "This fight is mine! Do not interfere," the monk said, turning towards his adversary. "Tengu, what do you want here?"

"Damn you, houshi!" the tengu screamed. "Just when I had the fool where I wanted to have him!" With that he attacked, swinging at Miroku, who blocked with his own staff. The two attacked each other, looking evenly matched.

Kagome was astonished. _'A real tengu!'_ She took off her rucksack and opened the side pocket where she had her camera. She had placed it easy to reach, because sometimes she had to be quick to get a picture. If she got one of the tengu, she was sure Jii-chan would do anything just to look at it. Her grandpa had a thing for anything supernatural, to the point where he paid ridiculous amounts of money even for nonsense.

Inuyasha watched with a bored, yet disappointed expression. "Showoff," he ran Miroku down while he sheathed Tetsusaiga. He saw Kagome taking a picture. "What's so special about a bird?" he asked, somewhat jealous.

Kagome looked at the hanyou. "It's a tengu!" she said, as if that would explain everything.

"And?"

"And it's very popular in my time," the miko explained. "Actually finding one is like a lottery jackpot!"

Inuyasha nodded as if he understood, though he had no clue what she was talking about. ´_Damn her with her terms. What the hell's a lottery?_´

Meanwhile, Miroku had the tengu cornered. The tengu was breathing hard, and decided that a trick was in order. Not unlike Shippou's illusion, suddenly the room was filled with a dozen tengus. The married couple jumped back frightened, while Kagome gave a delighted yell, able to take pictures of multiple tengus now.

The monk got a spell scroll out. "Houriki!" He threw the scroll at a tengu, seemingly at random, but got the real one. When the spell unleashed its power, the illusions disappeared. The tengu concentrated through the pain, disabling the scroll with a surge of power. It fell off; the letters had vanished. That seemed to cost the bird man a lot of strength - he had to support himself with his staff.

Kagome took another picture, getting the attention of the tengu. "Will you stop this clicking?" the youkai threatened.

Miroku used that moment of distraction to behead his enemy with a quick swipe. The body started to dissolve before the head hit the ground. "Useful," Inuyasha said, nodding appreciatively. That way, no one had to clean up.

Kagome sighed. ´_Seems like there will be no group pictures._´ Well, at least she had nice ones of Miroku fighting with the tengu. She stowed the camera away in her rucksack, and turned towards the owners of the house.

"Could we please have something for dinner?" she politely asked the stunned couple.

They both nodded stupefied, at least for them it hadn't been an everyday ordeal. Toshiaki heard Inuyasha complaining to the monk why he had had to watch, while the 'normal' girl teased the monk how long he had taken defeating the tengu. ´_Weird people._´

Madoka dished them a nice meal in the living room. Even Inuyasha was pleased - although there was no meat, there was at least fish. _'That's interesting,'_ he thought, _'there has to be a river nearby. I could finally wash my haori there.'_ When he asked, Madoka told him that it could be found ten minutes walk from the village.

Miroku explained that tengu were forest spirits known for causing mischief. Over time they had developed a deep hostility towards Buddhist monks, and vice versa. Inuyasha still was angry that Miroku had gotten the fight, and was eating accordingly.

During the conversation it became clear that Toshiaki had developed a drinking habit recently, obviously because of the influence of the tengu. The relief of Toshiaki's wife spoke more than thousand words, while the man himself seemed embarrassed for having fallen for the tricks of the creature. Kagome hoped that Madoka would read him the riot act once their group was on the way again, what was unfortunately rather unlikely. Most women in ancient Japan were almost completely subdued by their husbands; finding a nice one was great luck. She hoped that the tengu hadn't just intensified the bad habits of Toshiaki.

"I also have a question," Sango began. When Toshiaki nodded, she continued, "We are coming from the mining village, where we heard that they had been attacked by a werewolf many decades ago. I am searching for this beast and want to ask if you know something helpful." Here was the best place to begin the search for her prey – it was the settlement nearest to the mining village.

"That happened long before our time," Toshiaki answered. "There is a man living at the edge of the town who escaped back then. I heard that there were only a handful survivors, and I guess most of them are buried under the earth by now, scattered all over the country. That man might be the only witness still alive."

"There is a problem though," Madoka took up. "He has always been a rather... quirky individual, and age only made it worse. I don't think you will hear much that would be useful from him." She remembered when she had first met him as a child. He had kept mumbling to himself, intensifying his strange appearance. "I guess the mayhem in his home village left him on the edge of sanity - he was still not of age back then, after all."

Sango bowed. This still was a better lead than she had hoped for. It was very unlikely to find a witness after more than fifty years. They finished the meal, and the group excused themselves, saying that they would look for the man now. Before they left, Madoka showed them their sleeping room, excusing that they had only one for all of them. Kagome assured that it was no problem. After that, they left into the direction Toshiaki had described to them.

"I'll go training with Shippou," Inuyasha said on the way.

The fox child looked up anxiously at him, but Kagome scolded the hanyou. "This is very important for Sango. She's our friend, and we will help her through this."

"Isn't that what your girl talks are for? I'd rather go training with Shippou," Inuyasha tried to talk himself out.

"That doesn't matter! She has helped us out many times, and now we help her," the miko said, beginning to get angry.

"Keh! When would I have needed her help?" the hanyou shot back.

"Inuyasha, we are going. That is my last word," Kagome answered. It was clear that this was an important matter for Sango, so why did he have to be that tactless?

Inuyasha gave Shippou a small push, but the fox just shook his head, indicating that he would not interfere. Inuyasha growled at the fox, frustrated. _'What if that man recognizes me?'_

"Inuyashaaaaa...", Kagome warned.

"Fine! I hope you make it quick. I don't want to waste time on stupid werewolves. They can join Kouga's pack for all I care," Inuyasha answered. ´_Looks like the stubborn girl has set her mind..._´ He could only hope that it was someone who hadn't even been born when he had left the village.

They reached the hut. Sango entered first, Kagome and Miroku behind her. Inuyasha stayed outside with Shippou and Kirara, reasoning that they would just scare the man. _'From here I'll be able to listen, without being seen.'_

Sango found a man inside. He sat on the floor, eating soup for dinner. Upon hearing her enter he looked up, surprised. "I have no sandals left."

Sango looked at the man. He was really old, without a single hair left on his head, but a snow-white beard on his face. The hut had almost no furnishing, making it look really uncomfortable. Sango was sure that the man would have died in this hole long ago if he didn't have a really good constitution.

"Good day, Ojii-san. I am not here for footwear," Sango answered, not really caring what he meant with his statement of having no sandals left. "I heard that you survived the attack of the werewolf." She didn't know how to approach the subject otherwise, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

The old man hummed to himself, rocking back and forward. When Sango didn't get an answer, she continued, "I am hunting for it, and thought that you might be able to help me."

The man looked up, eyeing her. "Hmmm", he said, stopping the unnerving shaking. "Hehehehe." The laughter was even more enervating. "You want to kill it?"

"Yes, that's my intent," Sango told him seriously.

He started to giggle again. "And you think you can do that?" he asked when he finally caught himself. "It has killed men by the dozen, so how do you think a woman could defeat it?"

"I'll have you know that I was the best youkai exterminator of my village!" Sango was angered by the old man's attitude. "And my friends here are really good, too." She heard Inuyasha chuckle at her outburst outside, but chose to ignore him.

The old man was not impressed. "Youkai exterminator, eh? Well, the man they sent after the wolf was one, too." He giggled again. "Was never seen again."

"He was my great grandfather," Sango gritted out. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down. "Can you tell me something or not?"

"If you insist." the old man answered. "There isn't really much to tell. I was wakened by something crying like mad in the middle of the night. When my father looked outside, he saw that a fire was spreading in the village. My parents left to help extinguishing the fire." He paused, thinking about something. "Was the last time is saw them. When the fire reached my house, I ran outside and saw some children gathered there, and then an old man ran towards us and led us out of the village. I actually never saw the beast."

Suddenly he started to shout. "But he said that he only had one eye! Only one eye!" He started to giggle again. "Like an evil eye."

Sango shook her head. Nothing useful. "Do you know in which direction the wolf fled?"

"Flee? Hehehe." The enervating giggle again. "Flee! Hahahaha." He needed some time to catch himself, finally looking quite proud. "No youkai ever fled our village, not even the hanyou."

"Hanyou?" Kagome asked. "Was there a hanyou attacking you?"

"Not attacking. Hehehehe."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. "Come in, Ojii-san says there was a hanyou in their village." This would interest the dog demon, as he was a hanyou himself, even if he didn't seem to be interested in the wolfhunt.

"And why should I care?" Inuyasha asked in a bored voice from outside the hut.

Meanwhile, the old man looked up, curious. "I knew an Inuyasha once."

"Inuyasha, come inside." Kagome repeated. _'Does the old man know him?'_

Inuyasha was in a dilemma. If he went inside, he would most likely be recognized. But what choice did he have - it would be suspicious if he didn't react to that. Maybe he could make the old man look like a fool, so his friends wouldn't hear _that_ story. He entered, knowing there was no way around this. He positioned himself in the door, hoping that he wouldn't be recognized against the light. "What is it?" he snorted, trying to sound unconcerned.

The old man started to laugh again. "Hahahaa! Inuyasha! Hahahaha!"

"Would you stop that, Jiji?" Inuyasha gritted out, but inwardly he cheered. _'This way they won't believe that the old man knows me.'_

"Jiji? Hahahahahahaha." The old man almost toppled over. "HAHAHA! _JIJI_!"

Inuyasha turned around, intending to leave. _'What a crackpot.'_

"Don't you recognize me, dog-ear?" the old man asked behind him.

Inuyasha turned around, dangerously slow. Just one person had ever called him by that nickname. "Eiji."

"Hehehe. What happened to you, did hell spit you out again?" the old man asked in a sweet voice.

"What happened to you?" Inuyasha asked back, advancing on the old man, a grim smile growing on his lips. "Did the wolf spit you out again?"

Eiji slid backwards in his sitting position, hitting the wall with his back. "You can't hurt me!" he shouted frightened, then started giggling again. "Hehehe. Only the wolf can kill me!"

Inuyasha bent down. "Is that so?" he asked, unnervingly calm. The old man began to sweat under his gaze.

When Inuyasha grabbed Eiji's throat, Kagome snapped out of her stupor. "Inuyasha, leave Ojii-san alone!"

The dog demon ignored her and lifted Eiji up. "I wouldn't have dreamed of seeing your ugly face again," he sneered, squeezing the old man's throat shut, stopping any reply.

"Inuyasha! Stop it!" Kagome tried to reason with the hanyou, but got no answer. The hanyou just continued to insult the old man who looked like he would pass out every moment from fear alone.

"Osuwari!" she shouted when Inuyasha started to smash the old man against the wall, not knowing how else to stop Inuyasha from strangling this man. The situation had turned from unnerving to weird in a matter of seconds. ´_These two know each other? What is going on here?_´

Predictably, Inuyasha slammed to the floor, losing his grip on Eiji. The old man got a laughing fit more violent than even before. "HAHAHA!" he laughed and kicked the subdued hanyou against the head. "Osuwari! HAHAHAAHAA! Like the DOG you are!"

When the spell lost its effect, Inuyasha got up. He had clenched his fists that hard that his nails had dug deep into the flesh of his palm; blood trickled down his knuckles.

-

_Do you wish there was a way to stop the fickle hand of fate,  
or do you give in to the urge and kill the very thing you hate? _

* * *

From what I gathered on the internet, tengu are quite popular mythical creatures in Japan. I just found it looked funny (same kind of strange like Jaken), so I decided to put it into this chapter. They are said to cause mischief, and they don't get along with monks.

This time the title-song is from my favorite punk band, **Pennywise**. The song is from their newest CD, **Land of the Free**. I think some of you could know this band, they are relatively popular. And, they are really good!

**E-Mail Notification :**  
I began to send E-Mails to some of my readers (actually only two by now), and although I was against this in the beginning I found out it is really not much work. So if you want to receive a short notification when a new chapter is out, please tell me and leave an E-Mail-address in your review.

The last chapter didn't receive that many reviews (11, I know, I'm getting greedy), the count being 81 right now, but at least there were four new readers. I'm soothing my mind with calculating reviews per chapter (because mine are so long :) ), and that the reviews I got have _really_ good quality (thanks again!), but still, the raw number is the first thing that jumps you in the eye when you see this fic in the Inuyasha fictions list. If I count all my readers together, I could get 20 reviews for this. So, if we all work together, we can make it over the 100 reviews mark this time!

**February 10th, 2003**: Chapter 8 finished.

**December 13th, 2004**: Last revision of the chapter.


	10. Chapter 09: Fuel my Fire

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings: **  
I guess the last chapter had a really evil cliffhanger, but what fun is writing if I can't torture my readers a bit? :)

The review count is wrong - decided to count only 13 of the 25 reviews I got (??), so the counter stands at only 94, but when I log in it says 106, and that's the right number, you can count it! (7 pages 15 reviews 105). Really strange...

I know reviews don't make a chapter better and that there are some hidden gems out there, and also lots of overestimated stories, but it's still nice to get reviews. What I especially like is that many of you leave long ones and share your thoughts with me. That helps me keep the group in character or with problems around the plot, and I also think it's the best sign that you're caught up in the plot :)

I hope nobody misunderstood ´_100 reviews would be great_´ as an ultimatum, I would have posted this chapter anyway. I got 25 reviews - you managed to establish a new record! :)  
To thank you, I will quit straining your nerves with bugging you for reviews from now on. Just leave one if you like to! :)

**Reviews revisited: **

_usagipegusus_ - You made the first review again. You're really quick. :)

_tamababymiko-chan_ - I'm relieved that Kagome acts like always :). I'm trying to get her believable, not stupid and not uncaring, and to keep the different aspects in balance. Quite difficult, also because the plot I have in my mind is restricting me.  
As I write this, Kikyou still has no part in my fic, but I'll keep trying. (You cannot stop me, hehehe) :) In earnest, I'll do as you say - if I don't find a place where she fits into, she won't appear. It's not like I have to force all kind of characters into this story.  
I'm glad that you liked the dialogues and the fight. Inuyasha's confusion won't be better after this chapter, as the Eiji ordeal was just beginning ... (evil grin)

_trunksgirl77_ - I'm glad you like the fic. I don't know how long you've been reading on , so this might not apply, but I (also) wrote not many reviews in the beginning, but after a while I found out it is fun, especially to give comments, suggestions, and criticism. Anyway, thanks for reviewing although you usually don't!  
I put you on the mailing list, so you should have gotten an e-mail saying that this chapter is out. At least with you it's clear you want one, some other people left an address but didn't explicitly say they wanted a notification.

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - Uh, I'm not responsible for any concentration problems or drug abuse. I wrote that in the disclaimer this time, read at your own risk. So you can call back your lawyers! :)  
Anyway, I like writing long chapters, so Kara, I guess you have get used to it or read it in turns... Well, as said before this chapter is a bit darker than the last one, but I tried my best! Uh yeah, love and peace!

_Warrior of Forest_ - Glad that it's already usual for me to post something with quality :) I put you onto the mailing list, because you left an e-mail address. I'm not sure if you really want the notification, so if you don't just tell me.

_unowen_ - I guess you see the whole sit a bit like me. If I were Inuyasha I would be at least embarrassed, but he is also good in hiding things...  
What I have to say to Kagome's defense, until now she was trying to be fair to Inuyasha. She doesn't sit him for every trifle in my fic. She's actually quite nice in the real manga too, although she sometimes lets herself go. (I hate that)  
I hope you like this chapter, sorry for taking that long, but writing more would leave me on the brink of madness. :)

_Starlight_ - I hate ultimatums (although I have to admit I _am_ review-greedy :) ). I mean it's not your problem if other people don't review or don't like this fic, so why should you have to wait for another chapter just because of that? I usually don't review other stories with ultimatums out of principle, I think these authors are overestimating their importance...  
Regarding Kagome understanding Inuyasha, I think she understands him better than in some other fics (I think your opinion really fits onto the manga/anime). I'm actually trying to make her intelligent, letting her read between the lines, and she's not running around like a dumb chick(en) thinking ´_Oooh, I'm just his shard-detector!_´  
But because he doesn't tell her of his past or what he thinks of her and Kikyou, she can't help but wonder about that aspects, because Inuyasha doesn't give her (and my readers hehe) any clue.  
I sent you a notification because you left an address, if you don't want to receive e-mails please tell me.

_MeghanK_ - Hehe at least one is green with envy. :) I wonder if nobody else knows Alandrem's fic? I guess the last chapter had a really evil cliffhanger, but I had to quit my chapter somewhere. And I was really nice to you until now with cliffhangers! :)  
I tried to get Miroku's thoughts more mature, but still not OOC. I don't think that someone with his intellect hasn't some thoughts beside sex (even if it's important for him and he thinks he has figured women out), or that he keeps groping her all the time not realizing that it is getting him nowhere. Still, his main goal for the moment is to sleep with Sango, although he's starting to realize he likes her for other reasons too.  
I think that Inuyasha has to think a bit that Kagome doesn't trust him, because he got them because he tried to kill her, and he still has them after all the time. From Kagome's POV, they are a necessity because he isn't listening to anyone otherwise (not wrong either).

_Sakura-Hikaru_ - Yep, Eiji is a real Jiji. I tried to explain with his constitution (he also was quite large and strong for his age in the past, when playing ball with Inuyasha). The encounter with the slavers was just the beginning, although it might not seem that way immediately.  
Hmm I'm also a huge angst lover. Even in nice fics I like if there is at least one chapter that is darker, I think it adds spice to a story. Good Inuyasha-angst is really rare, so I don't think that the list would be very long (Maybe "White Dog" and "Learning to let go", but they are both not really angst) :(  
Kenshin is a much better try (You really have to read "Into the clear", "That which lingers" and "Straight Edge" if you don't know the fics already!)

_Spectrum_ - Thanks for doing your share with your review. I like that you say that my fic has that little extra, if you mean the same thing as I think you mean (you can't really describe it), it means my fic is good.  
I guess I really spare with Inuyasha's past, especially in this chapter. The next two will be better on that aspect, though. It would have been the next, but I have a really cozy scene on my mind, so the first main revealing will have to wait till chapter eleven.

_Merith_ - Well, not leaving a review is made up with the great quality of this review. Kagome's and Inuyasha's relationship is changing for sure, though I have to be very cautious to keep the balance my plot requires.  
Like things are at the moment, the mining town incident will be revealed in two chapters, although writing usually becomes longer than I intended, so it could be more. The group just keeps straying off the path I show them...  
Yes the vicious circle... I experience it full force every time I post a chapter. I usually have some problems writing the days after I posted, and the reviews are helping me over it. For now I'm also using as remedy to write ahead a bit before posting, so I don't have to start at zero.  
RK was the first anime series I really watched, and I have to admit that it's hard to find something to top it. Inuyasha is doing quite fine, but the mood is lighter, although there are also some darker moments. (Childhood, transforming slaughtering without control, brother trying to kill him, etc.) Still RK is better in my opinion, but the advantage of IY is that it gives you a bigger playground to write about, demons, magic, time-travel leave much more options.  
Because of the holidays I haven't seen the girl since then (that's the first time I partially cursed holidays, grr), but I will know more in a week :). If I hadn't had been writing on this fic, I think I would have gone mad. I found out writing is a great way to cope with stress. :)

_Tamerlane_ - Just looked through your favorite fics list, it is very good! (Also because I'm on it :) ) I guess I'll try some of them if I ever find the time, because your taste seems to match mine. I tried to write something more original, and I think I'm doing quite fine. I worded really hard before I even started to write this fic, and I think the daylong brainstorming really pays off. This chapter is more centered on the present though, I don't think it reveals anything.

_Aisuru_ - Thanks for pointing out the faults in my first chapters. You are also very observant, pointing out logical flaws! Thanks a lot! I actually think that my first chapters aren't of that high quality, because I rushed their releases a bit. I got more levelheaded with a bit practice. (This is my first fic)  
I actually forgot to mention that in my fic werewolves age slower. I needed something able to run amok and still exist after 50 years, I'm mentioning the slower aging now.  
About Seibunishi, I guess it was written bad, I meant he protected them with his name and his power. I corrected 2 sentences, "Seibunishi-sama offering protection" instead of "guarding", and the "never to return" passage to Inuyasha's view.  
It would be really great if you could continue your observations! I always thought that 'what' and 'which' were the same in that usage, but if you say which is better, so be it :)

_Anime-05_ - I'm glad you like it and you are reviewing again. Well I don't want to spill the surprise what Inuyasha will do, so just read the chapter. Eiji continues to be mad, I can tell you that much. :)

_DJ dragon princess_ - Inuyasha will get much more pissed. Harhar :) And Eiji is just as mad as he has been the last 50 years. Well, maybe it got worse over time...

_Anonymous_ - Looks like I got Eiji right. I wanted him to be damn annoying, nice to see it worked. :) Shiori won't make an appearance in the present, because she's dead. She would be around seventy or something, and not many people lived that long back then. Eiji is a persistent bastard for living that long.

_Lady Bird_ - To answer your questions : Where he got his fighting skill? Can't tell you. What about the old man? Can't tell you, read on. Will they finally find out? Not much anytime soon, nothing in this chapter, but the truth is somewhere out there. :)  
Please don't be angry, but I have the plot planned out for the next few chapters, and this chapter is concentrating on the present.

_Amargo Scribe_ - I actually was saving the rage for this chapter. The last chapter was meant to be bright, with a final chord being a bit darker. Well, I hope you like Inuyasha in this chapter, it's very centered on him. I'm not telling more to keep spoiling any surprise.  
About Eiji, I tried to get the old man really mad. I don't know really mad people (although most I know are rather outlandish :) ), so I just tried from scratch. I think I got him at least very annoying. I also wanted to give a reason for his madness, it being that all people he knew were killed, his parents, all his friends. I tried to go into more detail, but it wouldn't have fitted his character suddenly spilling his heart.

_Admiral Biatch_ - Hehe, if fics are like wine, I'm both a brewer and an alcoholic. Did you notice the "Edited by Chri" in Present Time? Harhar, I'm just too proud of it.  
Well, how is it going with your fic? Long time no update...

_obsession171_ - Thanks for the praise, and for your correction! The meant-thing made it into my writings cause English is not my native tongue, and its translation can be used that way in German. I corrected that now, good thing was I didn't make this error too often.

_Wedge_ - Here's the update. Sooner wasn't possible, I swear! :)

**Disclaimer:  
**I'm not responsible for any physical or psychical diseases developed while reading this fic.  
The chapter epigraph is from _Prodigy_.

**Special thanks to:  
**_Miss Alandrem_, for doing the editing of the new chapter again. I hope I'm not stealing too much time from your "Present Time" :)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_Yeah, my layers are thick,  
and I got a bad attitude.  
Yeah, that knife in my back  
has fingerprints that belong to you. _

_**Fuel my Fire**_

When the spell lost its effect, Inuyasha got up. He had clenched his fists that hard that his nails dug into the flesh of his palm; blood trickled down his knuckles. Kagome went between him and the door, intent on talking with him. He turned around and pushed her to the side, leaving a crimson handprint on her school uniform and almost knocking her over, and exited without looking back.

"How's the whore, Inuyasha?" Eiji shouted after him. "_Burning_ with rage?"

Kagome ran outside, but Inuyasha had already vanished. Shippou went after her. ´It w_ould have been better if we went training_´, he thought wistfully. Catching the hanyou's scent, he said, "I'll look for him, Kagome." With that he took off - he had to be quick if he didn't want to lose the track. Inuyasha left almost no trace behind if he didn't want to.

Shippou entered the forest in his pursuit, already fearing to lose the hanyou there, but Inuyasha seemed to head straight into one direction without any turns, what made it much easier for Shippou to follow.

He wondered what had exactly happened in the hut. The two seemed to know each other. On the other hand, Kagome hadn't recognized this Eiji. She had been with Inuyasha the whole time, how come she didn't know him? Maybe Inuyasha knew the old man from the time before he had been sealed to the Goshinboku?

Either way, they didn't seem to like each other's guts. Kagome had been the only one able to stop him from strangling the old man, and Inuyasha had definitely not been happy about the sit. The fox was angry at Inuyasha; he had pushed Kagome out of the way almost violently without second thought, just for a little sit.

Shippou arrived at the bank of a river, also losing Inuyasha's scent. He went to the shore, trying to catch the hanyou's scent again. He put a toe into the water, but immediately jerked back. The water was freezing cold, like rivers were in the spring.

He looked to the left and to the right, finally finding the hanyou swimming against the river. Shippou was surprised - this was the first time he saw the hanyou swimming. He had already come to the conclusion that the dog demon was water shy. He ran after him until he caught up. "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked as calm as he could.

Swimming within all his clothes, Inuyasha pointed at his haori. "Washing." The dog demon continued to 'clean' his jacket, leaving the fox youkai standing at the shore.

Shippou started to shout at the hanyou. "What were you thinking! How could you push Kagome around? You jerk, you could have hurt her!"

Shippou continued to rant for a while until he noticed that Inuyasha couldn't hear him because he had turned around and was now floating on his back, his ears under water.

Shippou resigned himself to waiting. He had almost counted on having to flee after his insults. Instead, Inuyasha just ignored him. He didn't like seeing the short-tempered hanyou that impassive and uncaring.

---------

When the kid started to rant at him, Inuyasha turned onto his back, submerging his ears under the water. The sky above him was the fucking nicest blue he had ever seen. He closed his eyes, just letting himself drift with the water, blind and deaf to the world. It was a comfort he _never_ allowed himself, but right now he didn't care. All he could think about was the humiliation he had endured.

The nerve of her! Using the fucking prayer beads right in front of Eiji! Reducing him to a helpless fool in front of the only person from his village he had always hoped to meet again.

Especially in his forest he had often asked himself what he would do if he found Eiji somewhere, imagining how he would make him suffer, repay the bastard, beat the shit out of him, if not for his peace, then for his mother's. Sometimes he had left him alive, most times not. He hadn't even believed his luck when he realized it was really Eiji, when Kagome turned the moment of his triumph to the most embarrassing moment in his life.

He felt like scum. The filthy half breed his brother had always told him he was. This ordeal was something everyone would bring into connection with his name. _'You know Inuyasha? The useless hanyou who is eating dirt on a daily basis? Oh, that Inuyasha! Isn't he the whipping boy of a fifteen year old girl? Yeah, exactly that one. Did you hear, last time she lightened the mood of an old man by letting him kick the freak like a dog.'_

He hated the prayer beads, they allowed the bitch to render him completely helpless, offering him to the mercy of everyone around. Damn Kagome. Damn Eiji. Damn everyone. How could she? He could accept being sat for behaving bad, he could deal with being sat without knowing why, but he couldn't deal with being sat for public exhilaration. The laughter of Eiji still rung in his ears. He felt like he would burst.

"Dammit!" he shouted. Who did the backstabbing bitch think she was? She had absolutely no right to interfere. That was something between him and that old asshole. Who was she to command him? What right did she have to meddle in his affairs? He would show her that he did not give a _shit_ about what she told him to do. He would make the old bastard suffer; at least this shithead wouldn't live to tell this tale. He might have let the old man live before, would just have scared him a bit, but now the son of a bitch would fucking die. ´_How's the whore? Burning with rage?_´ Something in him snapped.

---------

"Dammit!" Shippou heard Inuyasha suddenly shout, feeling an immense wave of youki emitting from the hanyou. The dog demon swam for the shore immediately thereafter. Shippou prepared for another volley of insults, but stopped when he saw the dog demon's face. It was unexpectedly calm, but there was an insane gleam in his eyes. When the dog hanyou stomped out of the water, Shippou was sure that Inuyasha looked more demonic than any full demon he had ever seen before. He looked at the hanyou's side, seeing that Tetsusaiga was there. "Inuyasha?" he asked shakily, frozen in place, standing because of adrenaline alone.

The hanyou shook himself, water droplets flying in every direction. Now that the dog demon's face was covered by his hair after his version of drying it, Shippou could understand why Inuyasha didn't want other people to watch him bath - he looked a bit like a drowned dog. The wet fire rat fur made a good part of the effect, as the usually bulky clothes clung to his body, his hair plastered all over. Inuyasha pushed his hair out of his face, the deadly grimace appearing again, nullifying any laughable look he might have had for a second.

Inuyasha took off his haori and wrung it, because of his strength and also the durability of the fire rat fur to endure it he managed to get most water out, and after doing the same with his hakama he started to put everything on again. Shippou just stood there, being completely ignored by a much too calm hanyou, and a naked one at that. The fox didn't know what was going on, usually Inuyasha seemed rather shy in that aspect, but now he was just methodically drying himself, not bothering with one useless movement or a hint of shame.

When Inuyasha was finished he shook himself again and turned towards Shippou after getting most of the water out of his hair. Shippou received an angered look that seemed to ask why he was still there. Shippou was ready to bolt, but stood his ground.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked annoyed.

Shippou let out a sigh of relief. He could swear to see the hint of stripes fading away on Inuyasha's face, but the hanyou hadn't freaked out, at least not yet. Although Inuyasha didn't look as scary as before, Shippou hadn't been too sure if it wasn't his last minute on earth.

Shippou was amazed with himself for standing still - he hadn't fled because he hadn't wanted to wake the hunting instinct. When the youkai blood took over, Inuyasha acted almost on pure instinct alone. But the hanyou still seemed to be in his right mind. "Do you feel okay?" Shippou asked, hoping to get a clue what was going on in Inuyasha's head.

"No, I don't," Inuyasha answered curtly, turning to walk back to the village.

Shippou plucked up his courage and jumped on the hanyou's shoulder, his concern for his friends greater than his fear. "Leave Kagome alone!"

The only answer he got was a fist that batted him off the shoulder.

All the time Inuyasha continued his steady march, already leaving the forest, the village in sight. Out of desperation Shippou clung to the hanyou's feet, trying to stop him.

Inuyasha simply ignored the burden, dragging along the youkai child with every step.

"Inuyasha, calm down!" Shippou cried, having no chance to stop the hanyou by force. The people of the village went out of their way, some looking frightened, some curious or even amused. The hanyou just ignored them and walked back towards Eiji's hut.

Inuyasha heard Kagome long before he reached her. When he turned around the last corner she finally came into sight. She was talking with Miroku and Sango, apparently about what had just happened. She stood with her back turned towards him, looking into the concerned hut. He sniffed, catching the scent of Eiji, and quickened his steps.

Kagome turned around, still having a confused look on her face. When she saw Inuyasha dragging along Shippou she had to stifle a laugh, thinking everything was all right, but when she caught sight of Inuyasha's expression, her smile quickly froze on her face.

"Inuyasha," she gasped, shocked. The expression on his face was ice-cold, and his eyes were shining with murderous rage. She couldn't remember ever seeing the hanyou so scary.

Miroku was the first one to react, stepping defensively in front of the girls.

Inuyasha didn't slow down. "Out of my way, Miroku!" he growled, directing his gaze at the monk.

Miroku forced down the urge to step aside, keeping his cool demeanour. "State your business."

"It doesn't concern you, monk," Inuyasha spat. He had reached Miroku and stopped in front of him. Shippou gave a relieved sigh, let go of the hanyou and ran behind Miroku, hiding behind the monk who seemed to be able to stop Inuyasha.

Miroku didn't step out of the way, making clear that he wouldn't let him pass. "Everything that concerns my friends concerns me," he answered calmly.

"It doesn't concern _any_ of you," Inuyasha gritted out. "Let me pass, Miroku." If Kagome wasn't here, he wouldn't have stopped, but he couldn't risk another 'Osuwari'. He calculated his chances to jump the remaining distance, but the bitch would sit him before he could make it into the hut.

Finally, Kagome also got a grip of herself. "Inuyasha, what is going on here?" she asked with a shaky voice, stepping beside Miroku. She couldn't take much more, seeing Inuyasha like that shocked her deep. She was used to his eternal scowl of annoyance, but this look was far worse. All this hate for a helpless old man didn't seem right to her – she was sure that Inuyasha would kill if they let him pass now.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, his cold anger slightly abating when he saw the bloody handprint on her blouse, but the tactical part of his mind still considered her the greatest hindrance of the three humans in front of him. "Get out of my way, Kagome. I said this doesn't concern you," he tried to reason with her.

Eiji chose this moment to step out of his hut. "Jo, bastard! Osuwari!" He looked surprised when Inuyasha didn't fall to the ground as before.

Inuyasha growled and crouched slightly, flexing his claws, looking ready to rip the man to pieces. Miroku noticed that the hanyou's eyes had just taken on a trifle of red, and the growl was becoming deeper, angrier. The monk wasn't sure if standing in the way was a good idea, but Sango was behind him, and he couldn't let her get hurt.

To his dismay, she didn't value his protection and moved to his other side, leaving Miroku standing between her and Kagome.

Sango pulled out her katana, sad that the first enemy to use the new blades against would be Inuyasha. But whatever had happened between the hanyou and the old man in the past, she couldn't let him kill Eiji. He was the only witness able to help her find the murderer of her great grandfather, as useless as he might seem. She guessed that Kagome didn't sit the hanyou because she wanted to talk him out of it.

Kirara jumped off the youkai hunter's shoulder, changing into her battle form, taking her place on the other side of Sango. She eyed the hanyou warily.

Kagome was worried, although Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga at his side, he still was on the brink of transforming. ´_Maybe he has to actually hold it?_´

"If you want to kill him, you'll have to do it with Tetsusaiga," Kagome said, trying to trick Inuyasha.

Inuyasha eyed her warily for a second, then gripped the hilt and pulled the sword out.

"There. Now let me pass!"

Eiji had enough sense of self-preservation to bite back the insult on his tongue. A half demon armed with a sword that had its own name, set on killing him, was enough to silence even him. The monk and his two girls didn't look like they would be able to stop the hanyou.

Kagome saw Inuyasha pulling Tetsusaiga out of its sheath, holding it untransformed in his hand. His eyes turn back to normal, but the stripes in his face didn't fade completely, and he still looked set on killing. ´_Dammit,_´ she thought, not noticing she was imitating Inuyasha's swearing, ´_that's not how I planned it._´

This matter had to be settled there and then, and without a sit if possible. She couldn't watch the hanyou all the time - if he really wanted to kill the old man, he would find a way to do so. She wondered for the first time about the range of the subduing spell. "No, Inuyasha. Killing him is wrong. Whatever happened between you in the past, he's only an old man now."

"That doesn't change anything," the hanyou told her. "I'm getting my revenge!"

"Revenge for what?" Kagome asked desperately. "I don't understand!"

"I'll say it one last time. This doesn't concern you." Inuyasha took one step forward. "You will have to chose, Eiji or me."

"I _am_ on your side!" Kagome shouted. She was at the edge of crying. How could Inuyasha doubt her? She just wanted to stop him from doing something he regretted later. "You know damn well that I am on your side!"

"Then get the _fuck_ out of my _way_!" Inuyasha barked at her. Even his friends were turning against him. Well, he should have known, in the end it was always only him. He reevaluated his chances for reaching Eiji - now that the old man was outside, he could reach him or at least throw Tetsusaiga before Kagome could...

"Inuyasha, please!" Kagome interrupted his thoughts. He was mortified. She would _beg_ for that bastard's life?

"This is unlike you." Kagome whispered almost inaudibly. She knew that, deep inside, Inuyasha was a good, caring person. "Please, stop this." She walked towards him, closing the distance between them. "If you kill him, you won't feel better. You are no murderer." The first tears started to run down her cheeks, she finally couldn't hold them back any longer, but she kept walking until she reached Inuyasha and flung her arms around his chest, not caring about his damp haori.

Inuyasha discarded his battle plans when he saw Kagome cry, smelled the salty odor of her tears. He looked from her to Miroku and Sango, who were beginning to relax. His arms were still stiff beside him, his right hand holding Tetsusaiga. Was that what upset Kagome? ´_She doesn't want me to kill?_´ She was worrying for him, not for Eiji?

All his life, no one had been concerned with his peace of mind. Hell, even he himself was no longer thinking of it. But there she was, crying against his chest, and right then he just wanted to hug her back, comforting her and stop the tears. He let go of Tetsusaiga to have his hands free, letting the sword fall down with a clash.

"Hehehe, isn't that sweet? I guess two freaks found each other," Eiji mocked when he was just about to hug Kagome back.

That sent Inuyasha ballistic, he broke Kagome's grip around him and launched himself at Eiji. Miroku and Sango both reacted fast, but he simply jumped over them. _'They won't be able to stop me.'_ He had planned his jump to get down directly behind Eiji, and with a loud thump he landed just there.

Eiji seemed to realize that his last comment hadn't been too sly, at least after the hanyou's hand closed around his neck again, this time luckily from behind, not squeezing shut his throat.

"She is no freak," Inuyasha growled at Eiji, pushing him closer with the hand behind the neck. He walked back to the stunned miko, taking the old man with him. He hated that Eiji was completely bald-headed - he would have rather dragged him there by the hair. Inuyasha slowed his steps slightly when he passed Miroku and Sango, he wasn't sure if they would attack him, especially Sango who seemed to be afraid for her witness. When he finally reached Kagome, he threw Eiji before her feet. "You owe your worthless life to Kagome, and you _will_ thank her accordingly."

Kagome looked down at the old man lying before her, stunned. She had been taken by surprise when Inuyasha had let go of her and went after Eiji, too slow to react, so she was relieved that Inuyasha hadn't killed the old man, after all. Eiji looked up at her, fear written clearly over his face. "Thanks, Kagome-san," he brought out at last. Kagome felt uneasy - she didn't approve with threatening people, especially when they were lying at her feet and thanking her. "Uh, please get up," she told the old man, who stood up after that.

Inuyasha contemplated about the honorific. ´_He should have used something more submissive,_´ he thought, but now that Eiji had already stood up it was too late, anyway. Kagome didn't look like she had liked the episode, but he had wanted to make clear to Eiji that he wasn't alive because _he_ had shown mercy. And making the old man eat dirt in front of everyone and even making him thank the miko for it also calmed his mind. He had let Eiji live of his own free will, not because Kagome wanted him to. He had shown that he wasn't to be ordered around, but also that he could be reasoned with.

"Might we know where you know each other from?" Miroku broke the silence. The old man wanted to answer, but Inuyasha was faster. "We had a brief encounter once."

Eiji agreed because of the look the hanyou gave him, promising much pain should he tell anything. "Uh, right. Brief encounter, hehehe."

Inuyasha was going to hate that laugh, but he guessed it wouldn't be him who would have to hear it all day. He actually pitied the inhabitants of the village for having to put up with a pain in the ass like Eiji. The old man finally vanished into his hut, leaving the group standing on the street.

"Inuyasha, what was that all about?" Kagome asked. The hanyou was looking after the old man, seemingly lost in thought, but at least he looked ... calmed down again. She thought that he owed them more of an explanation than 'Brief encounter'.

Inuyasha shrugged. "My business here is finished." He turned and walked back, towards the house of Toshiaki.

Kagome got angry at that. She calmed him down, hadn't even sat him, and he did his almighty act again? ´_But not this time, not with me._´ It looked like it was time to leave the rest of her friends out of the picture again, at least for now. "Please, leave us alone for a while. I have to talk to Inuyasha in private." With that, she ran after him, quickly catching up.

Inuyasha was glad that Kagome caught the drift and came after him alone. "Jo, Kagome. What do you want?"

The miko looked at him. "I want to know what that was all about," she told him determined. "First you nearly strangle that old man, then you ruin my clothes and storm out of the hut, to finally come back looking set on murder. And don't tell me something about a brief encounter."

Inuyasha evaluated how much he should tell her, but decided to keep this chapter of his past to himself. "I met him a long time ago, actually before I was pinned to the Goshinboku." That wasn't wrong, just _nine years_ before. "And believe me, he would have deserved it if I had killed him today."

"Don't you feel better, now that you haven't killed him?" Kagome asked. She wouldn't believe that he would gain pleasure from killing helpless people.

Inuyasha thought about that. "Maybe," he admitted. Degrading the asshole also had its good sides. Eiji crawling on the ground would become one of his favorite memories, of that he was sure. "You know, this whole mess wouldn't have happened if you hadn't sat me," he told Kagome.

The miko gave him an unbelieving look. "You were about to kill him before I stopped you!"

"Maybe, maybe not," Inuyasha answered. "But that's not the point. If you hadn't abused your power, I would have calmed down myself."

"_Abused_ my power?" Kagome asked almost surprised. "You were smashing him against the wall hard enough to seriously hurt him! He _is_ old, you know?"

"I was just scaring him! He almost killed ..." he quickly caught himself.

"He almost killed you?" Kagome asked unbelieving. She couldn't think how an ordinary human would ever have been able to threaten the hanyou's life.

"Keh, of course not. I'm not some weak human!" Inuyasha was quick to answer.

Kagome remembered Eiji's comment about Inuyasha's whore. Had he meant a girl? "Were you speaking about… Kikyou?"

"Kagome, this is something I'd rather not talk about," Inuyasha told her seriously. "It happened a long time ago, maybe it's better to let the past rest. You said so yourself." He took in a deep breath. "Look, I know you are curious, but my past is nothing I'm particularly fond of talking about," he tried to pacify her. "At least not about the part I remember."

Kagome kept silent, being reminded about the gap in his memory. She felt sorry for him, even what he remembered didn't seem to be a happy childhood, or at least the beginning thereof. It still was hard to believe that his memory came to an abrupt halt around the time he had been seven.

"Kagome, I want you to promise me that you won't do something like today again," Inuyasha interrupted her thoughts.

"What, sit you?" Kagome asked stupefied.

The hanyou grinned at her. "That would be nice. But in earnest, I don't think it's fair if you use the spell whenever you like. If you had sat me again back there, you would have signed Eiji's death sentence."

"I would have what?" She had to admit that she still didn't understand him. He had done something uncalled for, and she had sat him. "I don't think that you are in the position to make threats, Inuyasha," she reminded him.

Inuyasha hated the authority in her voice. He really _hated_ how easily she said she would have left him at Eiji's mercy again. "You do not command me, Kagome," he growled, hiding his weakness. "If you had let the bastard kick me again, I wouldn't have been able to ignore that." If he had gone through that humiliation again, nothing short of death would have stopped him. "I tell you once more, Kagome, the fact I have some beads around my neck doesn't make me your or Eiji's fucking whipping boy."

Kagome cringed at the venom in his voice. "You think I liked it when he kicked you?" she shouted back. "Inuyasha, do you think I did that for fun?"

"What would you think if I threw you before Eiji's feet and let him kick you, just because I felt like it?" he asked her angrily. "That was something between him and me!"

"I won't let you threaten the lives of helpless people, Inuyasha," Kagome told him determined.

Inuyasha forced down his anger. "Dammit, Kagome, I'm not a stupid dog you have to beat to get your way! I can be reasoned with; if you had asked me nicely I would have let Eiji go sooner or later."

Somehow it hadn't seemed to her that way. Although, technically he hadn't killed Eiji because she had talked him out of it. "I guess you are right on that account," she admitted. What left a bitter aftertaste was that she first had had to break down before he had given in.

"You know what, I offer you a deal. As long as you stop strangling people when I ask you to, I won't sit you." She guessed that this way the whole incident even had a good side, if Inuyasha gave in he might listen more to her opinion, without her having to sit him first. She realized that it had already worked in a way this time, when she had sat the hanyou he had only returned _really_ out for blood, but when she had reasoned with him he had given in, even when Eiji had mocked him.

"Fine. But it will be my own decision if I want to follow your request," Inuyasha bargained.

"Okay," the miko agreed. "But it will also be my decision if I sit you then or not," she told him with a teasing smile.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grumbled. He guessed it was a step into the right direction, because that way she would try to talk him out of it more often, not just force her way. It was about time she understood he had some dignity left. ´_Osuwari,_´ he thought, ´_she couldn't come up with a more embarrassing command if she wanted to._´ Maybe she would finally realize that he was the son of a taiyoukai and not a common dog.

"Fine, it's a deal," Inuyasha agreed, and she offered him her hand. He gave her a curious look.

"Take it," she said, "it's a gesture that says that we both will stand to our word."

When Inuyasha took it, he pulled her closer after a moment, finally returning the hug he had wanted to give her before Eiji had cut in. "Thanks for believing in me, Kagome." He rested his head on her shoulder, relaxing for the first time since he had heard of the survivor of the werewolf attack. If she had wanted to, his return to Eiji could have become another embarrassing ordeal.

´_Huh?_´ Kagome gulped, feeling her cheeks heat. Inuyasha was hugging her, in the middle of the street. She felt her knees weaken, she _definitely_ hadn't expected that, usually the hanyou didn't show his feelings in public. But she couldn't say she didn't like it, in fact it felt really good. To her dismay, Inuyasha released her after a few seconds, still holding her hand.

A whistle interrupted them. She looked to the side, finding Miroku with her friends standing at the corner. Kagome sighed inwardly. To her surprise, Inuyasha didn't withdraw immediately, but instead kept holding her hand for some precious seconds more. When he finally released her, he was also blushing. "Dammit, Miroku," he snorted, "you really know how to disturb people." He turned and went towards Toshiaki's house again, leaving the others behind.

´_Looks like his boldness finally left him,_´ Kagome thought, still trying to get her heartbeat under control. This hadn't been like the hug she had received before he had thrown her down the well. This time it had been without ulterior motives, and he hadn't even let himself be disturbed by his friends.

---------

When they arrived, Toshiaki told them that the hanyou had already left. He told them that Inuyasha had said that he was out hunting and would probably not return before sunset.

Kagome rolled her eyes - every time the hanyou did something that showed his feelings he seemed to be embarrassed for them. Other boys would grin or maybe blush, but he always sought solitude, almost as if he was running away. Why couldn't the hanyou admit and show his feelings more often, it wouldn't hurt him. On the contrary, he would become more self-assured.

She comforted herself with the thought that his actions today were a step in the right direction, and a not so small one at that. On the other hand, she still was scared when she remembered how ... savage he had looked when he had returned for Eiji.

They thanked Toshiaki for relaying the message and went to their room. Miroku grinned at the miko. "Kagome-sama, did we miss anything important?"

Kagome gave the monk a death glare. "No, you barged in exactly when it was _becoming_ interesting." Inuyasha had never acted so straightforward until now, she thought about what could have happened if Miroku hadn't disturbed them. Inuyasha had made a complete turnaround from unusually aggressive behavior to an unusually affective one. Her thoughts wandered off, imagining what Inuyasha might have done, maybe he would even have... _kissed_ her?

Sango saw Kagome zone out with a wistful smile. "I told you we should have waited longer!" she hissed at Miroku. If the monk hadn't been so curious to follow they wouldn't have ruined Kagome's moment with Inuyasha.

Miroku made an unbelieving face. "As far as I remember it was Shippou who wanted to go after them!" he told her truthfully.

"Yes, but you didn't seem too repelled by the idea," Sango said annoyed. The monk had most likely just waited until the child became impatient and would support him.

Shippou cringed guiltily, but he had wanted to go after them because he had remembered the image of Inuyasha stomping out of the water. After the hanyou had left with Kagome and the effect of the adrenaline had died away, the scene of Inuyasha from hell, leaving the water and coming towards him, had replayed itself over and over in his mind. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but I was afraid for Kagome."

Kagome looked at him unbelieving. "You were afraid for me?" she almost laughed. "Inuyasha wouldn't hurt me."

Shippou was embarrassed for being laughed at. "You didn't see him!" he defended himself.

"I think we saw him very well," Miroku contradicted. "He looked rather ... discomforting."

The fox youkai objected with a unusually frightened voice, "That was nothing compared to when he came out of the water, when the whole ..." he threw his hands into the air, searching for the right word, "madness started!"

Kagome looked at the child. Shippou was quick to begin crying, but he had always been brave during their fights. The will to face Hiten and Manten spoke for itself - to see the kid that scared was really sickening. It had to be the first shock of seeing Inuyasha with that expression; she could hardly believe that the hanyou was capable of a more terrifying one. "Everything okay, Shippou?" she asked him.

The fox child nodded after a while. "I guess I'll have to sleep over it." He tried to summon up pictures of a peaceful Inuyasha laughing about something, having moderate success.

"I wonder what happened between Eiji and Inuyasha?" Sango wondered out loud. "Did he mention anything, Kagome?"

The miko shook her head. "Not much. He just blurted out that Eiji almost killed someone, but wouldn't tell whom." She tried to put the puzzle together, but too many pieces were missing. "Because of Eiji's comment about Inuyasha's whore, I asked him if it has to do with Kikyou, but although he didn't decline I don't think it has to do with her." she told them truthfully. "Maybe Inuyasha… knew… someone before Kikyou?" she added as an afterthought, it would be just like him to keep something like that secret.

Miroku made a small laugh. "Mysterious as always," he commented. "Well, I hope that I won't have to face Inuyasha like that again." he admitted. ´_Much less without Kagome,_´ he added silently.

---------

Inuyasha had settled himself on a tree next to the river. He had wanted to hunt at first, but had given up when he hadn't found the slightest pleasure in stalking around the forest. So he had finally returned to the river, hoping that the soothing sound of the water would help him sorting out his confused thoughts when prowling the forest could not.

He had watched the sunset - the color of the few clouds faded from red to a pale gray in what little was left of the moonlight. It were only five days left until new moon and his human night. He tried to calculate the distance to Kaede's village, but could only guess because this part of the land was unknown to him. He wondered if he had kept away subconsciously or if it was pure chance. Either way, his life was being turned upside down, to the extent he could no longer hide it.

The incident with Eiji was the greatest loss of control he had had so far, outdoing even the one he had had with the two slavers. Back then it had only lasted for not even ten seconds, but this time it had been longer. _Much_ longer. He guessed it was luck that he had been too stunned in the beginning to flip out immediately after the sit and tried to calm down at the river. Until something in him snapped. He had reduced the world to himself, his target, Eiji, and removing the obstacles in the way of killing him. The first had been reaching his quarry, the next getting Kagome out of the way.

Only her tears had snapped him out of it. It had been no lie when he had told Eiji that he owed his life to Kagome. Still, it seemed that the whole ordeal also had some positive effects for him. He had finally established his position with Kagome, showing her that she didn't have him under her thumb. He guessed that they both had gained more by giving in a little.

She had offered to treat him better, and he knew he had had to earn it. If he hadn't finally gone against her, she wouldn't have even thought of it. He absentmindedly began to play with the prayer beads, twisting them around his fingers. He had felt almost as if the collar had been taken off, and the success had intoxicated him. He had embraced her feeling like he owned the world.

Now that he was down on earth again, he felt the nagging feeling again, telling him that he should keep his distance. That he was being selfish and should leave Kagome alone. He had also felt like that when he had begun to get closer to Kikyou, but had decided to ignore it. He wondered if he had been foreshadowing her death.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself, jumping down the tree. When he finally made some progress his own mind decided to go against him. Should he ignore the feeling? But what if something happened to Kagome? He remembered holding her hand after Miroku's whistle, not letting her go. She hadn't looked repelled at all. Had Kikyou ever looked repelled when he had embraced her?

He set off for the village, walking rather lazily. He tried to compare Kikyou and Kagome, but couldn't come up with any conclusions that might tell him if Kagome was repelled by him. As far as he could tell, she wasn't. Hell, should he leave her alone just because he was feeling weird? Maybe it was just guilty feelings because he hadn't killed Eiji.

Kagome didn't seem to grasp the concept of revenge. It wasn't about making oneself feel better, but making the other feel worse. What would his mother think of him now? Would she think him weak, ungrateful?

Anyway, he would choose Kagome over his mother in this matter, if it made the girl happy the bastard could live his lousy life. What good was a dead mother for, anyway?

He left the forest, the village coming into view; at this pace he would reach Toshiaki's house in a minute or two. He wondered if he should sleep inside the house. He would rather not, but what would Kagome think of it? Would she think he didn't like her because he didn't want to sleep in the same room? Probably, and he didn't want to tell her that he was uncomfortable sleeping in small rooms, either, also because he was doing better already.

But the room was _really_ small, especially for all of them.

He finally entered the village, seeing how the few people that still were out on the streets went out of his way. What would his friends think of him now? This had been the first time he had really opposed them, and very seriously at that. They had seemed unsure, but had stood against him nonetheless. In a way he was proud at them for sticking together, and hoped that they wouldn't be angry at him. ´_Well, I will know soon enough,_´ he thought, finally reaching Toshiaki's house.

When he entered the room Madoka had assigned them he saw the group sitting in a circle in the center. Shippou and Kagome were facing him, while Sango had her back towards him, Kirara sitting on her left side and Miroku on her right. He saw Shippou inching nearer to Kagome, giving him an almost scared look. Miroku was looking curious, while Sango watched him warily after she turned around. The conversation they had been having had died down, making him feel out of place. He was reminded of the hostile atmosphere that usually greeted him when he entered somewhere. "Keh!" He settled himself against the wall, trying to keep an annoyed expression and not show his distress.

Kagome was sad for him. She saw him standing there, looking as if he wanted to join them, but instead he sat down in the corner, putting Tetsusaiga against his shoulder. "Everything alright?" she asked the hanyou.

"Of course, what did you think?" Inuyasha answered, staring at the opposite wall. The thought that they could be afraid of him hadn't even crossed his mind. ´_Angry, yes, but not afraid._´

Kagome ignored the rudeness in the dog demon's voice. "Why don't you join us then?" she offered, pointing at the place beside her.

He looked over to them, Kagome was gesturing beside her, and the others also had an expecting look on their faces. "I'm tired," he explained, partially relieved at the curious looks on Miroku's and Sango's faces.

Standing up now would make him seem touchy, and he didn't want to destroy his tough image after he had just reinforced it. But he also didn't want them to be afraid of him, it also was because of fear that he had been excluded all his life. He hoped that he would find an acceptable middle course.

Sango had enough of Inuyasha's secrecy. "Why did you want to kill Eiji?" she asked him directly, trained instinct taking over when her witness was concerned.

"Why don't you ask Kagome?" the hanyou tried to evade, having no desire to be questioned again.

"Why shouldn't I ask you?" Sango shot back.

"Because I'm not going to tell you more than I told Kagome," Inuyasha clarified tiredly. Didn't they have anything better to do than prying their noses into his past? What was so interesting about his anyway, couldn't they bug ... Miroku instead? Or Shippou? Or anyone else?

Shippou had watched the hanyou since his entry. Had he only imagined the scene at the river? When he looked at Inuyasha now, he couldn't see the smallest hint of the _cold_ expression the hanyou had had back then. The dog demon was just as impatient and rude as always, even looked a bit excluded compared to the rest of them sitting together.

He had to yawn suddenly - the day had been another stressful one. Was it just his imagination or did the events come in a rush lately? He crawled over to Kagome's sleeping bag, snuggling himself into the soft fabric.

He made one last look in the round. It was quiet although the three humans looked like they would maybe stay up some more. Kirara had already rolled up after convincing herself that the dog demon was no danger.

Inuyasha had closed his eyes too, but Shippou didn't believe that the hanyou was already asleep, but more likely just didn't want to answer any questions this night.

---------

Inuyasha was swimming against the river. Shippou ran after him, unable to catch up. "Inuyasha, what about our training?" he shouted desperately.

That seemed to get Inuyasha's attention, as he suddenly stopped swimming and waited for the child do catch up. Shippou ran until he was finally standing on the shore next to the hanyou, trying to regain his breath.

"I think we will begin with flexing the claws," Inuyasha said.

Shippou looked up, seeing the hanyou stomping out of the water, evil youki swirling around him. The sunlight suddenly faded away, leaving the scenery in a grey darkness; all the fox could see was the insane gleam in Inuyasha's eyes. He tried to run away, but found himself unable to move under the dog demon's gaze.

"Open up the fingers, until they form a smooth arc," Inuyasha continued, flexing his claws.

Inuyasha pulled back his hand, continuing to advance at him, and started a swipe when he was finally within reach. Shippou tried his hardest to back away, but was still not able to move.

Shippou saw the attack coming at him, terribly slow. It seemed to take hours until Inuyasha's claws had only covered half the distance towards his throat. The ice-cold face of the hanyou was directly in front of him, eyeing him like an insect that had to be crushed.

"Don't you do it faster usually?" Shippou heard a voice ask that sounded suspiciously like his own.

"Of course, stupid," Inuyasha answered, his claws having finally reached Shippou's throat. "But usually I try to kill someone."

---------

Shippou awoke, stifling a cry. He took a few deep breaths, trying to regain his composure. He looked around, noticing that it was already morning. Coming back to his senses, he looked towards Inuyasha, almost frightened that he could awake the hanyou by that alone. Inuyasha was still sitting there like last day's evening, Tetsusaiga against his shoulder.

Shippou observed Inuyasha the next ten minutes, being much too disturbed to find sleep again. The hanyou's ear would twitch every now and then, especially when one of the group moved. The fox also noticed that Inuyasha's breathing sounded almost as if he was sniffing, with short, jerky intakes of breath.

Suddenly the hanyou's head started to shift around, his facial muscles working intensely. His limps twitched uncontrolled, and he even gave off a short whimper.

Shippou watched dumbfounded – right before he had had a nightmare of Inuyasha attacking him, and now he heard him _whimpering_. The concepts of a normal Inuyasha with the bad temper, the one with the wicked gleam and finally a whining one just didn't fit together in his mind.

It was the first time he actually saw Inuyasha having a nightmare; he wouldn't have believed the insensitive hanyou could even have such a week before. Three days ago he had laughed when the dog demon had awoken with a cry, but right then he _saw_ him sitting there, twitching around, and couldn't help but feel bad for it. He should tell Kagome about it, maybe Inuyasha would speak with her.

Shippou got up and went towards the dog demon, wanting to wake him from the nightmare.

The hanyou suddenly flipped sidewards, away from him. Inuyasha landed on his left hand, pushed himself off the ground immediately afterwards, intent on bringing even more distance between the two. When he had his left hand free again, the upside down half demon held Tetsusaiga's sheath with it and drew the blade with his right hand in midair.

Inuyasha completed his backflip, landing in a crouch three meters away from Shippou, pushing the sheath through his sash. The dog demon bared his fangs and gave off a growl, the sword ready to strike at his side.

Shippou was about to pass out.

* * *

This chapter didn't reveal anything of Inuyasha's past (I think), it is more centered on the present and character development. I try to get a balance between the past and the present, I think the two times have to 'work' together. 

Although I know the plot for the next two chapters, I'm still unsure of many details. The story keeps twisting as much as possible while I write...

**February 15th, 2003:** Chapter 9 finished.

**December 22nd, 2004:** Last revision of the chapter.


	11. Chapter 10: Never

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings : **  
Sorry it took so long, but I didn't have much time the last two weeks... The chapter is also a bit shorter than usually, but not that much. I dunno know how long the next chapter will take, I'm thinking of writing ahead a bit, to be able to correct some things that I might have to in the progress of writing.

The last chapter got me a good amount of e-mail reviews, something that hadn't happened before at all, so I'm double sorry for taking that long. I still appreciate a review on but getting an e-mail isn't bad either. I really like that many of your reviews are really long. I read one of those 1.000 words, 200 reviews wonders, and it caught my eye that _every_ review was just one line. I have to admit I actually prefer to get less reviews, but these at least telling me some impressions of the reader and not just "Hey, write more!" :)

**Reviews revisited : **

_alandrem_ - Yah, reading chapters first is really great. :) Especially if you can laugh that you already know another chapter. prevented me last time ...  
I went over the whole fic correcting my fault wherever I found it, I hope I forgot nothing. Was the least I could do.  
Wow, my story also helps against writer blocks... :) I for myself found the best thing against my (although only small) writer's blocks is "discipline". I simply start writing for at least an hour, even if I have not really an idea what to write about. Usually my brain starts working again after some time...  
Merith's fics are really good, although TLTO is too fluffy for my liking. Still I like the serious background, and I think she appreciated my reviews for being truthfully, because she answered me with an E-Mail, starting a rather interesting dialogue. I also got E-Mails from other readers for the first time, and quite a lot at that. I guess I'm getting more involved with - Nice to read from you again. I hope my story helped to kill some time, and that the snowstorm didn't destroy your internet connection :). I'm surprised to hear that you have to work in missed schooldays, my end of school has always been fix... Well, I guess the weather should be fine again, so I hope the waiting was bearable. :)

_tamababymiko-chan_ - Uh, sorry? (Hoping you're calmed down...) I extra wrote it into the disclaimer last chapter, proceed at your own risk. :)  
I'm actually glad that my writing has that effect, that way it leaves an impression (and I hope it's not a bad one :) ). It's hard to find a fic that really captures your attention and keeps you thinking about it...  
Anyway, this chapter should be able to sooth your nerves a bit, it actually doesn't have that much happening, and not a cliffhanger either. And tell your sister my excuses for making you yell at her :)

_Tamerlane_ - Thanks again for your offer, but I also guess the longer this story is, the better are the chances for being accepted. I'm glad you find my story that good, I think the quality is at least in the upper quarter of the Inuyasha stories.  
This chapter took long, sorry, but I simply didn't have that much time again. At least I'm lucky that I don't get serious writer's blocks, at least not until now.

_Merith_ - Jup, it was dark, and I hope the next chapters will be nicer. I guess my story could use a bit more romance, although the pairs are finally getting closer (especially Miroku/Sango), there hasn't happened anything until now. And that doesn't change in that chapter. But it really should in the next. I guess.  
Inuyasha and his transformation also have a part in this chapter, although only in retrospective. I have to admit that I'm maybe too serious sometimes, but I don't think that I wouldn't have second thoughts if I knew I could transform and lose control anytime...

_Amargo Scribe_ - Thanks again for your review. It's good to hear that my characters are written believable, and that letting Eiji live also wasn't out of character (for Inuyasha). I hope Kagome not sitting him also makes some sense...  
Although I guess it should be believable enough, Kagome doesn't sit him too often in my fic. I think it could be counted with one hand.

_Lachesis_ - You found me out, I'm from Europe – Austria, actually. :) I learned English at school and saw some English movies in original language, that's pretty much everything I have to do with English. (and reading, of course)  
I checked your profile and read your story (it was really good, maybe the next one is longer?), and I saw that you are a professional writer, so I think your opinion should count something when you tell me this is good. :)  
Uh, one question, I'm playing a bit with the thought of writing more than just for hobby, what exactly does one do? Just write something and send it to various companies hoping it to be published?

_Misao CG_ - I'm glad that I'm able to surprise my readers sometimes. :) I'm also trying to stay away from the mainstream with this fic, and I think till now I'm doing fine. I guess this chapter isn't as interesting as the last one, I'm doing my best but the fic can't be at the boiling point all the time.

_Demon Girl_ - Uh, two weeks and a bit shorter than usual... I'm not a full time writer, so sometimes I simply have more important things to do. I see writing more as fun, and well, work goes before it. :(

_Lady Wolf Moon_ - Thanks for your review. I guess also thanks for the E-Mail, thing is I never got it ... :( I guess it's disappointing (for me too), but I hope to read from you nonetheless. If you want to, send me an E-Mail again, and I'll answer you if I get it. :)

_usagipegusus_ - Hmmm, I guess Inuyasha is misunderstood sometimes... But he isn't completely innocent when he keeps everything to himself. Well, it's my fault in the end, but that is how I think how he would react in this situation.

_nEw moDeL nO.15_ - Hehe, glad you liked it. I hope Inuyasha's mood swings were realistic, he was both angry at Eiji and glad that Kagome didn't turn against him. At this point I'm not thinking of giving him another outfit, but I guess at least leather would suit him... not sure about the chains. :)

_Warrior of Forest_ - Thanks for the praise. I guess two cliffhangers in a row are pretty mean, but the chapter size was just growing and I had to end it, and there was no good ending point in sight. I could have ended sooner, but then Shippou's nightmare wouldn't been in it... This chapter doesn't have a cliffhanger, I'm trying to be nice :)

_Lady Bird_ - Uh, I'm sorry to say that new chapters will be more spare again. This fic is far from "on hold" though. I still have much planned and it's really annoying that writing takes much more time than thinking it out :)  
I know what you mean with reading great (and already long) stories which will never be finished, "The white Dog" being the perfect expample... Well, I think my story should easily reach the 100.000 words mark, and I hope I will be able to keep it interesting. At least I have enough ideas on my mind, so I think chances are good it will be finished eventually, and continue to catch your interest.  
I can't avoid bringing some characters into the fic, but I try to keep them at a minimum. I have to give them names, as for instance I can't write "the wife of the man who owns the house" instead of Madoka all the time. I try to give the more unimportant characters some personality, so they aren't just bystanders (and also to get you used to their names :) )

_Renko-chan_ - Thanks for your reviews! The chapters you have commented as I write this are actually the short ones, I've started to write longer ones from there on. I hope you still like them. :) I have finished this chapter and was able to read/review your fic again. I haven't had much time for writing, even less for reading. I hope you are doing fine with your story!

**Disclaimer:  
**Inuyasha and the whole idea behind it doesn't belong to me, this story's just what my twisted mind is making of it.  
The song's from **Angel Dust** again, I don't have that many groups with music fitting for such chapters... :)

**Special thanks to :**  
_Alandrem_, for bothering with my messy writing once again. :) Believe me, before her correction this is one huge mess, I just keep writing "meant", and "its" and "days" without apostrophes. I will search for these words and correct them myself from now on...

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_A light shines on me, I feel the sun rise,  
it's fire will banish my fear.  
My dreadful, black dreams,  
no longer they'll scare me. _

_Until the night returns _

_**Never**_

Inuyasha growled at the attacker, until he noticed that it was only a very pale Shippou. "Are you stupid, brat? Don't wake me like that!" he muttered, not wanting to wake the rest. He sheathed Tetsusaiga again, trying to calm down his heartbeat. In a way he was glad that Shippou had awoken him - he had had another nightmare.

Two in four nights, he hoped that they wouldn't return in the long run. For the last few months he hadn't had any strange dreams. ´_Actually for the last fifty years,_´ he thought with a twisted smirk. Who would have thought that the best therapy for nightmares was an arrow through the heart?

Inuyasha watched the fox child gradually relax. "Were you bored, or why couldn't you let me sleep?" he asked in an annoyed tone. He hoped that he didn't sound as tired as he felt, he hadn't slept for more than an hour non-stop, awaking every time someone of his group turned from one side to the other or flailed an arm around.

"No," Shippou defended himself, "I wanted to wake you because you had a nightmare."

Inuyasha gave the kid a curious glance. "And where would you know that from?" he asked guarded.

Shippou shuffled his feet, feeling uncomfortable. "You were whimpering."

"I was _what_?" Inuyasha asked, embarrassed.

Shippou just nodded, unable to look the hanyou in the eye. He hoped that Inuyasha wasn't angry with him for waking him up, he had only tried to help him. He also thought that he and the hanyou were already even, Inuyasha had surely scared him with the growl and the stunt he had pulled. One moment the hanyou was vast asleep and the next crouching in front of him, prepared to slit his throat again. ´_It was only a nightmare!_´ he reminded himself.

"Keh! You are hallucinating or something," Inuyasha exclaimed. "I don't whine, unlike a pup I know."

The scene hadn't really helped to rebuild Shippou's trust in the hanyou, although he had to admit that at the moment he was more confused than anything. "You were! It's me who doesn't whine!"

"Keh! You do!" Inuyasha shot back.

Kagome opened her eyes. "What's going on?" she asked, still not fully awake.

"Kagome!" Shippou cried relieved. "Inuyasha was having ..." He was stopped when Inuyasha's fist connected with his head.

"Shut up, brat," the hanyou threatened.

Kagome sighed. ´_Can't I have one peaceful night?_´ Just one time she wanted to sleep without being awoken by Inuyasha, or Shippou, or an evil youkai. "Inuyasha, no fighting with Shippou!"

"We were training!" the hanyou grumbled, giving the fox a small push, careful that the young woman wouldn't see it.

"If that is your training I will stop it at once," Kagome told him.

Shippou was in a dilemma, Inuyasha was blackmailing him with the training, while Kagome would stop it if he didn't say something against Inuyasha. "That wasn't training, Kagome. I woke him up and he got angry that I didn't let him sleep," the fox told her, thinking that he was very sly to appease them both.

Kagome looked from one to the other, feeling that there was some undercurrent going on between the two. Shippou should have complained and told her to sit Inuyasha.

She saw that Sango and Miroku had also been awakened by the quarrel between the two demons, so she guessed that Inuyasha would soon order them to stand up. "Get up, you lazy mortals!" she heard him complain right on cue. "We are already behind schedule!"

After some more complaints on Inuyasha's part, they got up and went to the kitchen. Madoka was already up and served them breakfast. They ate in a relatively peaceful, yet somewhat uneasy atmosphere, pretending that everything was okay.

Seeing Inuyasha eating messy as usual also served to remind them that the hanyou was back to normal, and, after all, they had seen him more violently too, especially during the times when he had transformed. It was just a new concept that the hanyou hadn't backed down at all after one of Kagome's sits. Only Shippou was still acting reserved.

"Madoka-sama," Miroku began after he had eaten up, "we need supplies for our journey. Could you recommend someone?"

The woman explained the guys where to go to and sent them on their way, saying that carrying heavy things was man's work. Miroku gave in immediately, trying to impress Sango, and Inuyasha after a short discussion, not wanting to give the impression that he was too weak.

After the two had left with Shippou - Inuyasha had implied that the fox could need some training for his muscles - Sango and Kagome helped Madoka cleaning the dishes. They started to talk during the work. When Madoka showed interest they started to entertain their host with tales of their adventures. Their stories met amazement and sometimes even disbelief, although Sango rather understated the difficulty and numbers of their opponents. Madoka especially had problems to believe that a girl as young as her had taken on jobs alone for the taijiya village when Sango started to talk about her business.

"When we heard of a weaker kind of youkai, it would have been unreasonable to send more than necessary," Sango explained. "Often we had to send a bigger group, of course. An advantage in numbers can bring down even very strong youkai."

"I don't think I could have stood my children doing such work," Madoka said. "Isn't it very dangerous?"

"Yes, sometimes it is," Sango said quietly and stopped. After a second she caught herself. "It's not something you should do if you're not sure of your work. I wouldn't recommend your children to pursue this job if they hadn't trained since they were small," she joked with a small smile.

"Oh, don't worry! They have enough work to do," Madoka assured. "They both have their fields to take care of, after all."

"How old are they?" Kagome wanted to know.

"Both in their twenties. One is twenty-five and the turns twenty-two this winter," Madoka told them. "What about you? Do you have children?"

"No, Madoka-san," Kagome said a bit uneasily. "In my... village we usually wait until we're at least twenty."

"And you have to find a nice guy, too," Sango added.

"What about the monk?" Madoka asked curiously.

Sango blushed, sputtering, "There's nothing going on!"

Madoka laughed at the girl's distress. "There's nothing to be ashamed off," she told her with a smile. "The monk seems to be a nice man - refined, polite, and educated."

´_Thievish, womanizing, lecherous, ..._´ Sango added in her mind. She wondered how Miroku always managed to fool the people around him. On the other hand, Madoka wasn't completely wrong - Miroku could be serious if he wanted to.

"You shouldn't wait too long, girl," Madoka continued, "maybe you won't find another nice guy like him again. He will not wait forever."

Sango felt her heart skip a beat. In a way she knew that Miroku was waiting for her, especially with how he had acted the last week, trying to be polite to her. She nodded, not knowing what else to say.

´_At least Sango has a guy waiting for her..._´ Kagome thought wistfully. With her and Inuyasha the positions were reversed, she was waiting for him.

Madoka noticed Kagome's expression. "Love sick?"

Kagome blushed but didn't deny.

"The demon?" the older woman inquired.

"He's only half demon!" Kagome clarified, not liking it when Inuyasha was done away as demon. "Yes, it's Inuyasha," she said, although she guessed that it had been obvious before. "But sometimes I'm not sure if he also is interested in me or knows what he wants."

"Well, I was a bit scared of him at first," Madoka admitted. "But don't worry, he will find out some day, nothing in the world can be more dense than a male," she told her with a smirk.

Kagome couldn't suppress a smile. "I guess so. Men!"

"Can't live with them, can't live without them," Madoka giggled.

The two had found a common enemy and continued to rant against men generally and some in particular, Sango cautiously joining them. After a while Madoka's husband came up as subject. "How is he usually?" Kagome asked carefully.

"Well, he is usually quite nice, especially for a rich man," she began, looking around to make sure that Toshiaki was not within hearing range. "He grew up with the other children of the village, so he isn't as spoilt as many other with rich parents. I was really lucky that I got a man like him as husband; he leaves me much freedom. I don't know what this ... monster had against that."

"But now he's back to normal, thank goodness," Madoka said. She stood up and cleaned her hands with a towel. "Well, it has been a pleasure to talk with you, but I've got some errands to do and I can't postpone them any longer. You'll be okay by yourselves?"

Sango and Kagome assured her that it was no problem and watched her leave.

Left alone, Sango wanted to talk about the last day's happenings with Kagome. "Inuyasha seemed really out of it yesterday," she began.

Kagome nodded. "I haven't seem him so aggressive before, at least not unless his youkai blood took over. He actually was at the brink of transforming when Eiji came out of his hut, but I'm sure that it wasn't his youkai side behind all the hate. I wonder if his hate was stronger than the sealing spell of Tetsusaiga," she told Sango her thoughts. They had been roaming in her head since last night, and she was glad that she finally able to share them with someone.

Sango thought about that. "Maybe you are right," she agreed with Kagome. "Before Eiji came out of his hut, Inuyasha was completely normal. I still wonder what happened between the two, to anger Inuyasha that much."

Kagome shrugged. "Well, he seemed much more self-confident to me, also when he hugged me," she told her friend with a smile. "Although it seemed two different kinds of self-confidence to me. Unlike before, it was more straight-forward than arrogant. I sometimes wonder how much influence his youkai blood has on him, even when he isn't transformed. After all, he's only half human..." she trailed off.

"But enough of me. What are you planning with Miroku?" she asked her friend curiously. "You seem to be getting closer."

Sango blushed and stared to the floor. Unlike Kagome, she wasn't that comfortable talking about her own relationships. "I don't know. I really don't," she admitted a bit reluctantly. "With Naraku out there, I'm not sure if I have the time and safety to begin something serious."

Kagome patted her friend on the back. "Don't let Naraku dictate your life." She couldn't help but notice that her friend had completely avoided to talk about the tragedy that had happened to her people.

Sango nodded, lost in her own thoughts.

-

On the way to the merchant Miroku asked the hanyou once again about what had happened with Eiji, but Inuyasha kept quiet. He tried for some time, hoping that Inuyasha would let something slip, but the hanyou didn't drop his guard.

They finally arrived and bought the supplies, actually quite a lot because there was only one other village on their way to Kaede's, so they would have to make it on their own the next five days, though Inuyasha wouldn't compete for this food. He already planned to hunt, to provide for himself and maybe also Kagome.

Miroku used a moment the merchant was distracted by Inuyasha to steal sake and two cups. If he wanted to share sake with Sango, drinking from something else or even the jug itself wouldn't do. Once again, he was glad that he had gained some skill in obtaining items without having to pay for them.

After they had given the merchant his money, at least for the supplies, they carried them back. Inuyasha started to complain. "Dammit, I'm not her pack horse!" he said, giving the rice sack under his arm a glare.

Shippou was too out of breath from carrying one himself, so didn't complain about Inuyasha's complaints. Miroku, on the other hand, tried to look unfazed from all the vegetables he was carrying, so he spoke as evenly as he could. "Do you think Kagome should carry this heavy sack of rice?"

Inuyasha grumbled something about weak mortals and human wenches, but didn't object. Shippou made a small smile, relaxing a bit around the hanyou. Inuyasha was acting like always, like before the chaos of the last days had started. Shippou also thought about the good events in the last days, the top being having caught a short glimpse of Inuyasha hugging Kagome, and now he was quite optimistic that the two were getting somewhere.

"So, how do you think is it going between Sango and me?" Miroku asked, trying to use the time the girls were out of the way. "She let me put an arm around her two days ago at the village..." he drifted off with a smile.

"Really?" Shippou asked curiously, ignoring that he was wasting precious air. "Did you follow my advise? And why didn't you tell sooner?"

Miroku came back to reality. "Yes, your advise worked wonders. Thanks, Shippou," he thanked the kid, ruffling his hair. Who would have thought that Sango would be that affected, only because he didn't ask a few women to bear his child? "If you hadn't been so rough on Kagome," he accused Inuyasha, "I would have told you all that sooner."

"Keh! I was not rough! I hugged her yesterday!" Inuyasha realized what he had said. "I mean, I gave her a friendly hug."

The monk raised an eyebrow at the hanyou. "And what about holding her hand?"

"I was not rough!" the hanyou insisted, deliberately misunderstanding the monk, looking away.

"Idiot," Miroku muttered. "I mean the whole scene didn't look just ... _friendly_," he told the hanyou with a smirk. He would have elbowed the hanyou, had he not been carrying their supplies. "I hope I didn't interrupt you."

"Yes, you did!" the hanyou complained. "But not in what you are thinking!" he added when he saw the monk's expression.

"What do you think about giving both of us some time with our girls?" Miroku asked. If the hanyou kept rushing them like that, his cute youkai huntress would always be much too tired for him to hit on her. The time he had put his arm around Sango had only been possible because the impatient dog demon had overslept.

"Keh! There's no time for that," Inuyasha declined. "We have to hurry to reach Kaede in time!"

"Come on, just an hour more or less won't hurt," Miroku bargained. He showed them the sake he had stolen. "I have this jug of sake with me, and I don't want to break it. So before our next fight, I'd like to drink with Sango."

Inuyasha gave him a curious look. "Where did you get it from?"

"I acquired it during our stay in the mining village," Miroku lied slickly.

Inuyasha nodded, while Shippou made an understanding face. "Stolen," they said in unison.

Miroku sighed, would he always be accused? Not that it wasn't true, but it wasn't a matter of course that he had stolen the sake. "You should be glad I try to make a deal for some time with Sango. It's not like I have to listen to you!" he told the hanyou. He actually was doing it for Inuyasha, to force the hanyou to spend some time with Kagome. Only a tiny bit for himself.

"Fine! If we are making good way today, you can have some time with Sango tomorrow," Inuyasha offered. He was really uncomfortable when his human time came up, and he wanted to be prepared for once. His chances were simply the best at Kaede's village, the old woman wasn't too weak, and he could also send Kagome down the well should something bad happen.

Miroku nodded. ´_Another day wasted..._´ Well, the next day he would take his time by force if need be, this was the last time he was put off. He saw that Toshiaki's house was coming into sight, silently glad that he wouldn't have to carry his burden until he began to sweat.

Shippou was glad too, because he _was_ sweating and didn't think that he could carry the sack of rice much further. They entered the house, finding the girls chatting happily. Kagome was just about to explain that a necklace wasn't a hindrance in battle, but Sango doubted that it also could charm the enemy and had the impression that Kagome just wanted to convince her. She admitted she could try one, and Kagome promised her she would buy her a nice one in the future.

The three guys kept standing in the door, just Shippou let go of his burden and tried to get rid of the red color of his head. "Oi," the hanyou said finally.

"Oh, hi!" Kagome replied happily. "Wasn't that too heavy for Shippou?"

Inuyasha grinned. "He managed to carry it, didn't he? So the only thing it could be is too _light_."

´_Too light?_´ Shippou echoed silently, not able to bring out a word. He was about to drop dead from exhaustion!

"So, were you doing something useful too?" Inuyasha asked the girls tactlessly. "Or were you just laughing around all the time?"

After the girls assured him that they had helped Madoka, he was pacified. They prepared themselves for departure; Kirara agreed to carry the supplies. Inuyasha was too stubborn to help the cat youkai, saying that he wouldn't help if the others didn't too. Pointing out that he was much stronger than the rest of them didn't retune him. He looked rather grumpy and it seemed like it would be one of his especially stubborn days.

They said good bye to Toshiaki and Madoka, the two were quite surprised seeing Kirara in her greater form, carrying a lot of weight. After being thanked again for having helped them with the tengu, they left the village, Inuyasha behind the rest.

Shippou hopped onto Kagome's shoulder. "Inuyasha was having a nightmare, that's why I woke him today," he muttered into her ear as silently as he could, hoping that the hanyou wouldn't hear him. He still wasn't sure what he should think of Inuyasha after the last day's events. He thought that Kagome would have the best chances to get something out of the secretive hanyou.

Kagome nodded, thankful for the hint. She looked behind her, seeing Inuyasha had turned around, looking at the village, and had fallen behind some way. "I think I'll talk to him, we haven't really had time since yesterday."

Shippou nodded, jumping off her shoulder. "But don't ask him straightforward, or he'll guess I told you," he said, still with a low voice. Nobody knew for sure how well Inuyasha could really hear, but definitely a lot better than he.

Kagome watched Shippou catching up on Sango and Miroku. She would have liked to grant her friends some private time, but talking to Inuyasha was more important. She turned around and walked back to him, reaching him after a minute. He had a far away look on his face, staring back at the village. "Everything okay?" she asked him.

Inuyasha nodded, turning around, and walked after his friends. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back. "You coming?" he invited Kagome to join him. She quickly went after him, then they continued on their way together.

"I'm not really sure..." Inuyasha finally answered Kagome's question. He had dreamed about his home village again, just that this time the dream had been more like the real events. It hadn't done anything to sooth his guilty feelings. "I don't know if I have done the right thing."

Kagome smiled at him. "You have," she told him confidently. "You shouldn't kill, at least not as long you can help it." She had also thought about the two slavers last night, coming to a conclusion. "You know, the two guys were different. You also did it to prevent them from kidnapping more innocents, but killing Eiji would have just been for revenge. Even if the old man was once a threat, he no longer is."

Inuyasha thought about that. At least she had forgiven him for killing the two humans. But what about the last day's events? "You know, I'm ... sorry for yesterday," he brought out, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Kagome's smile didn't waver, this time being quite sure that he didn't mean the hug. "In the end it turned out fine, didn't it?"

Inuyasha looked at her unbelieving. How stupid could she be? "I was a hair's breadth away from attacking your friends! If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have stopped for Miroku," he admitted.

Kagome looked towards the monk uneasily. Inuyasha would have gone against Miroku? "You would have hurt us?"

Inuyasha was silent for a while, thinking about Kagome's question. ´_Would I have hurt them?_´ Surprised, he realized that he wouldn't have done that, even as he had been back then. "No, I wouldn't," he said finally. "I won't." It was more a promise to himself.

That was enough for Kagome. "That's the only thing that is important, that you wouldn't hurt us," she told the hanyou.

Inuyasha fell back into his thoughts. Would he be able to keep his promise? When he transformed, he wasn't himself. He didn't even remember some of the events, like slaughtering the villagers, or the ends of his fights with Sesshoumaru, when the transformations had lasted too long, letting him lose his mind completely.

Even what he did remember was more like through a haze. He had told Kagome to stay away after killing Goshinki, still having some of his consciousness left. What would he have done to her if she hadn't used the prayer beads? He also had them because he couldn't be trusted.

In that light, his friends had no other choice but _collar_ him. He was more dangerous than he liked to admit, able to jump his own friends any moment. He could try as hard as he wanted to, he would never be able to control the beast within. Tetsusaiga was able to, but not he just by himself.

Maybe that was why he had the feeling he should stay away, because it could very likely be himself who tore his claws into Kagome... He bristled at the thought, pushing it away. He also thought that he had never really attacked his friends when he had stayed transformed long enough to let his youkai side take control completely, so maybe that was a good sign. Maybe even his youkai side recognized them?

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asked. The hanyou had fallen silent, instead of the arrogant reassurance she had expected.

"Nothing. I just didn't sleep well this night," he distracted Kagome and himself.

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked innocently. Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously, and she tried to look as concerned and unknowing as she could.

He looked forward to Shippou after eyeing Kagome. "Keh!" The fox had told her something? If the brat kept spilling lies of him whimpering, he would give him a piece of his mind. "Do you think that I have none?" he defended himself.

Kagome would have laughed if the hanyou wouldn't have been offended by that. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everybody has a nightmare once in a while." It was just like Inuyasha to act like he had to cover up a weakness.

"I'm not ashamed!" he clarified. "I'm not afraid of a stupid nightmare."

"What was it about?" Kagome asked, trying to sound interested and understanding. "It always helped me to talk about my nightmares, so I'll listen if you want to tell me." She guessed it had to do with Eiji, but nightmares were something incalculable, so it could be anything. She remembered hearing that nightmares often were symbolical, and it was hard, if not impossible to completely decipher them.

"Nothing important. Just 'bout Haha-ue," Inuyasha said gruffly, trying to sound unconcerned.

Kagome suddenly got an idea from Inuyasha's answer. "Eiji was talking about your mother!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha tried hard to keep his distress from showing on his face. ´_Dammit,_´ he thought´_the girl is too observant for her own good._´ He tried to think of an excuse. "He wasn't!" he snorted, not coming up with anything.

"He was! Admit it!" Kagome said, sure that she had solved the riddle.

"I don't have to admit anything," Inuyasha said, folding his hands in front of him. "And he wasn't talking about her!"

Kagome eyed him critically. "You're denying it too much," she told him earnestly.

"Think what you want," Inuyasha said, looking ahead, his arms still crossed. There was an uneasy silence afterwards, and he was sorry that he had been so rude. But he didn't know what else to do to keep Kagome from realizing she had found out the truth.

Kagome didn't question him further. She still was quite sure that everything had been about Inuyasha's mother - the puzzle pieces were fitting together too well. It was about something before Kikyou pinned Inuyasha to the Goshinboku, so his mother would have been alive during the questionable time. She also didn't really think that Inuyasha had had a girlfriend before Kikyou, or a whore for that matter, so until the hanyou gave her a better explanation, she considered this riddle solved.

But it was also clear to her that this was a difficult subject for him, and that he needed some time to adjust. If Eiji had really tried to kill Inuyasha's mother, she could understand that the hanyou held a grudge against him.

With that she realized that the incident had to have happened in Inuyasha's early childhood, or he would have no memory of it, as he didn't know what had happened to his mother. What had he had to go through as child?

She looked at him, seeing that he had still crossed his arms, in her eyes a clear sign that he felt uneasy, even if he didn't show any distress otherwise. This little gesture often gave him away; he only did it if he felt either cocky or uneasy. Right now he didn't look cocky to her.

She thought of something else to talk, the fox kid coming to her mind. "How is Shippou's training going?" she asked Inuyasha and saw him relax - he uncrossed his arms and also got a more thoughtful look.

"The kid is a fast learner," he told her, sounding even a bit proud. "Of course he has a good teacher," he added, his usual confidence back. He suddenly had the idea of forcing the brat to calling him Inuyasha-sensei. ´_Sounds good..._´

Kagome saw a cocky grin growing on his face, what was he plotting now? "What are you teaching him?"

Inuyasha found back to reality. "Until now I was showing him how to use his claws." He demonstrated a swipe before continuing, "I'm not really sure what else I could learn him."

"What about the trick you did with Miroku?" she asked, finding it a good opportunity to learn more on that account.

The arms almost went back into crossed position. "That's hard to explain..." he began. He didn't even understand it himself - beside the disgusted look Kagome had given him when he had used his style on the centipede, the only reason was he just _hated_ to fall back to ... that. It was a knowledge... a skill engrained in his memory, but he didn't even know when and how he had learned.

"I guess I have learned a bit during my later childhood, but I don't have any memory what exactly," he said, trying to keep the defeat out of his voice.

"Really?" Kagome asked curiously. She didn't have the slightest knowledge of dealing with memory losses, so she just tried to be as careful as possible. "Do you think you can teach Shippou a bit?" she asked, using the fox as excuse to learn more.

Inuyasha bristled at her question, looking almost panicked. "No way!" He steadied himself. "It's not like you can teach a fighting style just by knowing a few tricks by heart, anyway."

Kagome was surprised by his reaction. Why didn't he use his 'tricks' in the first place? "Sango thinks you seemed to know what you were doing," she informed Inuyasha.

He felt uncomfortable, subconsciously quickening his pace. "I have never really tried out."

"Why?" she asked, not able to think of a reason why he would ignore a martial art, as he had called it himself.

"I don't like it," he said, crossing his arms again.

Kagome almost tripped. He didn't like it? She remembered how enthralled he had been after he had completely learned the Kaze no Kizu, playing around with the sword like it had been a toy. Here he had something different that made him stronger, but ... "You don't like it?"

"Don't like it," Inuyasha said again, sounding like he had made up his mind.

"And ... _why_?" she asked completely dumbfound.

"I just don't!" he stated, looking away.

Inuyasha had been walking so quick in the end that they had caught up to Miroku and Sango. Kirara was carrying the supplies, while Shippou was sitting on the monk's shoulder, ignoring the slight pushes he received, indicating him to bug off.

Inuyasha continued his fast pace, again taking the position at the head of the group, leaving Kagome behind with the rest of his friends. He was quite tired because of the uneasy night in the small room, and had been easy prey for Kagome's questions. He still was quite confused by the last day's events. He tried to sort out his thoughts, but the murmuring behind him kept distracting him. After a while he had enough; turning around, he announced, "I'll be off hunting." With that, he vanished into the woods.

After Inuyasha had gone off hunting, Kagome used the time to fill in her friends about the new discoveries she had made. They were reassured when she told them that Inuyasha didn't want to hurt them. They started to discuss to what extent his behavior had been threatening gestures; Sango explained that they were usual for inu youkai when dealing with comrades and even family, while Miroku said that he hadn't perceived the hanyou's aggressiveness just as bluff.

Then Kagome told them about her suspicion that the reason for the whole quarrel had been Inuyasha's mother. She didn't mention the nightmare, thinking that this was a matter Inuyasha wouldn't want publicly discussed. Well, he wouldn't want them to discuss about his mother either, but the nightmare wasn't relevant.

Both Sango and Miroku thought that this was a very likely possibility. A direct threat to a relative's life was something that had even led to fully waged wars, so especially in Sango's opinion Inuyasha wouldn't have been overreacting.

'_After all, she's after Naraku for the same reason - to avenge her family,'_ Miroku thought and put his hand on her shoulder, sensing her distress at the topic. Sango gave him an appreciating nod, accepting his gesture. He hoped that her forefathers wouldn't be upset with him for using them for hitting on Sango - after all, it was for her peace of mind, and he had to admit that he didn't like seeing her in low spirits.

Shippou had kept quiet, still not convinced that Inuyasha wouldn't have hurt him. He had also been punched off the shoulder, although that hadn't been anything new. Thinking back, he was surprised with himself for messing with Inuyasha, when everything in him had screamed for leaving the hanyou alone.

At least he felt much more comfortable than last evening, seeing Inuyasha acting as usually had helped a great deal in making him at least not feel threatened in Inuyasha's presence, but he still was uneasy around him. But if Kagome's theory was true, he could understand Inuyasha; when he had lost both his parents, everything he had been able to think about was finding a way to avenge them.

When Kagome started to tell them that Inuyasha admitted he knew a martial art but didn't like to use it, they started guessing again. The ideas ranged from down-to-earth like Shippou's guess that the hanyou just knew basics, to far-fetched like Miroku's flash of genius that Inuyasha had a gastric ulcer that hurt him. His idea that Inuyasha had back pains from being sat too often wasn't better either, at least in Kagome's opinion.

-

Kagome sat at the dying down fire. They had been walking all day again; strangely this time it had been Miroku who had kept pushing them. Both she and Sango had been surprised, usually the monk was a rather lazy traveler, preferring the comfortable pace he was able to keep up for hours even uphill.

Inuyasha had returned after a while with a young hare. He had divided it in three even parts when they had been eating at the fire, sharing with her and Shippou. He had made a rather distracted look to her, keeping her wondering what he was thinking of.

She actually was the last one awake. Miroku had gone to sleep really early, meaning that they had to rush to reach Kaede's village. Sango had opposed they should be able to reach it in time, but had settled for sleep too, Kirara next to her. Shippou had crawled into her sleeping bag, and Inuyasha was sitting up a tree, like usual.

She could never be sure if he was sleeping or not, like with many other things the hanyou liked playing it very close to his chest. She got up and settled herself for sleep next to Shippou, trying to find a comfortable position.

Sighing she realized that Inuyasha had been more closed off again, beside their talk when they had left the village he hadn't spoken much with her, while she had hoped for something following the hug. Maybe she should stop digging up his past, most of the times he became uncomfortable from it. ´_It might be better to give him a short pause, so he can concentrate on the present._´

She shifted around to find a more comfortable position. Shippou grumbled beside her, but luckily didn't wake up. She looked up to Inuyasha again, he had his eyes closed, or she would have seen the slight glow. It sometimes made her shiver when she saw him sitting up a tree at night, only his glowing eyes visible, fixed on something in the distance, although she wasn't sure the shivers were unpleasant. In a way he looked hot and attractive, although outlandish and dangerous; she had sometimes daydreamed what it would be like to wake up in the night only to find this stare fixed on her.

Five meters above her, Inuyasha was still waiting for sleep. He had tried to follow Miroku's advice of going to sleep early, but it had evaded him, most likely because the object of his thoughts had decided to stay up longer than the rest. Because of her he had to keep his eyes closed – something he didn't like, although his ears and nose still provided him with enough information about his surroundings. ´_Stupid mortal,_´ he thought´_tomorrow she'll be tired again._´

Maybe that wouldn't be too bad, she had been very perceptive today by finding out about his mother, and maybe a bit weariness could stop her. He had given away much this day, even on more than one subject. He had admitted he had a nightmare, helping Kagome make the connection between Haha-ue and Eiji, and finally even told her of his queasy feelings. He must have sounded like an idiot, telling her that he liked it better to be weak.

´_Weak..._´

His whole life had been a struggle for more power. He had thought that, with more power, he wouldn't have to depend on anybody. It had been a bitter lesson, finding out that people shunned him even more because of his strength. It had been the same the last day - even his own friends had feared him, Shippou still was uneasy around him. He had waited the whole evening for the fox to ask for training, for naught.

He hoped that the child wouldn't stay like this. It had looked very promising in the beginning, and he had actually liked teaching the child what he knew. Even if he would possibly be giving away knowledge he shouldn't, especially when pointing out weaknesses, it didn't disturb him.

In a way he was getting careless. A part of his mind kept yelling that he was exposing weaknesses of his, not only to Shippou, also to the rest of his friends. This voice was getting weaker every day, and with every day he relaxed more around them.

But he was relaxing too much, to the extent of carelessness. ´_If I continue like that, it's more like I want to be found out,_´ he scolded himself. Telling her that he dreamt of his mother... By now the others knew most likely, too, and if he continued to act so thoughtlessly she would soon find out about the village. He had told her about his memory loss, but he didn't plan to fill her in on more.

Kagome had finally fallen asleep; her even breathing told him as much. He opened his eyes, letting them drift about the surroundings. None of his senses told him of any danger, but he still had a qualm feeling, and he had learned to listen to them. He gave off a warning growl before settling himself for sleep - although he was quite sure that no one would hear it, it could do no harm.

-

_I'm standing in the darkness. I can't see anything; I can't even feel any ground I would have to stand on. I'm just floating there, in the black, timeless void._

_Suddenly I can make out something amidst the nothingness. I look away and in, to make sure I'm not imagining things, but there definitely is something. _

_I start to walk, feeling that it will bring me closer even if my feet aren't touching ground. I can make out that it is a person, and quicken my steps. I finally see that it is my mother, waiting there for me._

"_Haha-ue," I greet her, glad that I'm not alone in this strange place._

"_My son, Inuya..." the rest is cut off when suddenly a thin red line appears on her throat. Vast amounts of blood, her blood, start streaming out. I can only watch in terror as she collapses, gripping her neck, lying there on nothing._

_I see a pool of blood forming itself, getting bigger and bigger. It finally reaches me and starts to creep up my feet. It has an unnervingly warm temperature, and the smell is making me retch. I'm about to cry out in horror when_ he woke up.

Alarmed, he looked around, but none of his senses registered anything. _'Dammit! What was that?'_

He took a minute to catch his breath.

When he was finally really sure that there was nothing unusual around, he leaned back against the tree. It was still night - from the position of the moon he knew that it was still much time till sunrise; the waning moon also reminded him that there were only four days left till his human night. Although he didn't think he had made any noise, he checked if he had awoken any of his friends, but they were all sound asleep.

This was the first time he had dreamt of his mother dying. His other dreams about her, like the one the day before, had in a way always been about the happenings in the village, he guessed he was more shaken than he wanted to admit. It left him wondering again - what had really happened to his mother, or to himself for that matter? He had managed to protect her from Eiji, but what had happened after that? Had he failed, like with Kikyou?

He would have liked to leave his position and rove about in the forest, but he would leave his friends alone. He looked down at Kagome, seeing her peaceful face as she slept. He would never be able to forgive himself if he came back to find them dead. To find _her_ dead.

He had used a good amount of the time he had been off hunting for thinking about Kagome's safety. After recalling the events at his home village and comparing them to more recent ones, he could understand why he shouldn't be near Kagome. Everyone around him died.

Most times, he was able to prevent it, but he had failed with Kikyou. He hadn't protected her, and because of him, she had dropped her guard, or Naraku would have never been able to come near enough to kill her. Would he have been able to save his mother back then if it had been his human night? What if Shippou's father hadn't shielded Kagome against Hiten?

He was dangerous for the people around him, just by staying near them he put them in the danger of death, again and again.

But, against logic, he still didn't want to let go. Was it asked too much if he wanted a bit luck in his life? In a way he envied mortals, able to live their lives in peace. All he had ever known had been solitude and strife, until he found Kikyou and finally Kagome, and with her the rest of his group. Was it asking too much if he wanted to keep his _friends_? He knew he was being selfish again, just like with Kikyou, but he simply ignored it. He just would have to be on his guard this time.

Inuyasha wondered if there would ever be a time when he didn't have to be on his guard. He hardly ever relaxed; he _couldn't_ relax. He never completely ignored the world like the last day at the river, and even that could hardly be called relaxing.

Also, the nightmares seemed to be back, three in not even a week. He hoped it was just because of the disturbing events of the last days. With thirteen, he had had quite a lot of nightmares, almost all of them about the fucking asshole he didn't even remember a name about, and about his mother and the fire and the village. They had frightened him back then, when he had still lived alone. The fear they had left him in had been completely irrational, but logic hadn't been able to help him back then. He had never liked to use fire, but he had accepted it in his cave to scare the shadows away.

He was older now, and he was no longer alone. He was over his old fears, and with Kagome and the hunt for the Shikon no Tama he had enough on his mind without having to worry about stupid nightmares. When he thought back now, he almost had to laugh at himself. Sitting in the corner when the fire died down, watching the entrance the whole night...

Kagome turned around under him, although the waning moon didn't provide much light, Inuyasha could still see her well enough. He would watch over her, like he had done until now. He guessed it was the best he could do, it was to late to leave her anyway, he didn't think she could survive the hunt for her jewel without him. Despite her recklessness, he had managed to keep her from getting seriously hurt, he had done better this time. He wouldn't fail with Kagome. He wouldn't fail _her_.

* * *

That's it, folks! This chapter didn't was mostly an aftermath of the Eiji incident and a transition to the next chapters. I'll be as quick as I can with the next one.

I also have to announce "Haishin" by Ms. Prongs, she said that I inspired her for her fic. I'm very honored by that :) The rantings in the beginning are a bit long (but hey, mine are too), explaining that she hasn't seen every episode, but don't miss the "Thanks Chri, keep up the outstanding work; I really envy your talent!" **:) Har**  
Go check it out, it's just a prologue until now, but it looks promising and has a really unique writing style.  
storyid1253249

I'm not entirely sure how the "Kagome being more thoughtful about sitting Inuyasha"-thing will turn out, although I have something on my mind. I hope both of them made some sense last chapters, Kagome not sitting him and he being really freaked out. It wasn't easy to write Inuyasha _really_ angry; usually he's just annoyed and doesn't let much to him, but from your reviews it looks like he was believable. It was also hard to write because it goes into much detail about the rosary and how it affects Inuyasha and Kagome, having them discuss about it is something that I had to write carefully.

As an afterthought, I think the prayer beads are and will stay a very delicate subject (not only in my fic). I think they are actually one of the main reasons for the success of the Inuyasha series, because people find it either very funny or very degrading. The fics out there also prove that many people's are thinking about the beads and their implications... just look at the success of stories like "Turnabout is fair play", "Broken" or "Learning to let go".

**March 6th, 2003:** Chapter 10 finished.

**January 30th, 2005:** Last revision of the chapter.


	12. Chapter 11: Push the Limits

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings: **  
I'm really happy that I've gotten a large number of reviews with my last chapter. More than twenty. Believe it or not, sometimes it got me writing when I shouldn't have. Sure doesn't look like it. I especially liked that many reviews said that my characterization is good, I think that is one of the fundaments of a good story. (A good plot won't hurt either :) )

Everyone is telling me how dark this is. I'm trying my best to keep the mood light. Am I failing that terribly? Maybe it has to do that I always enjoyed dark fics the most...

**Reviews revisited : **

_Tamababymiko-chan_ - I'm glad you commented, and sorry this took so long. Couldn't be helped, though. Seems you liked the women talk, I was not sure if I got it well... I actually only know the "Can't live with/without them"-quote with "Women" :)  
I hope you still don't hate me for taking so long :), and that this chapter can keep up my standard. It was kinda strange in development, although this is not the first one.

_Tamerlane_ - Thanks for your thoughts! I thought that Shippou should be scared because Inuyasha isn't just any demon to him. I didn't want to write too much of Shippou's thoughts, I don't think a kid would 'analyze' why it is scared, it just is. But I also think kids are quick to adapt, and I didn't plan on keeping that up though, it just takes Shippou some time to relax. Anyway, please continue with your feedback! I think your review will actually have an impact on the next but one chapter.  
Concerning Iridecent Dreams, I think Alandrem's site won't be up for quite a while, so I guess we could try getting into the elite site. Would be great if you'd recommend me! If Ookami-chan reads this chapter too, she might read my request herself, still it might be better to follow the standard procedure :)

_Usagipegusus_ - Well, this chapter isn't much shorter... Hope you can keep up with it. ;)

_Mink_ - I'm glad that my characterization was so well received. This chapter is kind of long, it's basically a setup, or maybe transition chapter. I'd be interested what you think about Sango!  
I don't think I'll have Inuyasha thinking about his friends being afraid right now, they are acting normal again. Maybe later if he gives them reason to. :)

_Warrior of Forest_ - Here's the next, sooner wasn't possible. Well, maybe it would have been, but then many other problems would have grown, slowing my fic in the long run.

_Renangel_ - Argh, everyone is blaming me! People get headaches, become aggressive towards their family members and fail in school because of me. :)  
I'm glad you found Shippou carrying a rice sack around funny! I'm really trying my best... If there is something funny, I write humor (although that's maybe not my best talent...), and if there is something dark, I write angst.

_MeghanK_ - I hope my dialogues are okay in that chapter too, it's kind of divided in two parts... I spend a good amount of time to get/keep flow in the story. I think it's important, especially when venturing into characters' thoughts.  
I wasn't sure if I should make her husband nice or not, but then I thought I didn't want to write useless angst, as it wouldn't be resolved in this fic. It's kind of the cheap way out, but I don't think that anyone would be interested in the group mending their marriage. :)

_Sakura-Hikaru_ - Here's the next chapter. I think the chapter is progressing slower this time, and the angst is reduced too. Could depend on where your limit is towards angst. Anyway, I'm glad that you didn't dislike the change in pace.

_Amargo Scribe_ - Thanks for reviewing again. I'm totally flattened that so many people like my characterization. I hope I'll be able to keep that up, especially as there are some changes ahead. I'm trying to let the mood follow the plot, also with the prayer beads. Funny when there is humor, and darker if there isn't anything to laugh about. It looks like I'm doing fine. :)  
Concerning the fighting, in the first episode (anime) I really liked how he sliced through the centipede. He also did this cool backflip jumps up in the trees when he hunted after Kagome. Ever since then his fighting has downgraded to (rather plump) Tetsusaiga swings... Anyway, I think that such details might make this story better, especially for people who like them (you are actually the first one commenting, I think)  
Well, if you want to beta-read, you'd have to drop me an address. The more the merrier, and I think you have the niveau to write some useful comments :)

_Merith_ - I think your review has been discussed enough in E-Mails... Hmm, what else to say? Thanks for your help, of course:) I guess you have had a huge impact on this chapter and especially the one to follow.  
I think Miroku will develop differently than in the manga. I'm not thinking of him giving up Sango just because of Naraku. To tell the truth, I can't follow that train of thought.

_Misao CG_ - Um, I hope I'm not torturing too much. I'm trying to keep the mood as light as possible, but sometimes (often?) it just doesn't work... I hope that, although mystery _is_ my strength, my romances will be okay. Mir/San-evening coming up in the next chapter...  
Well, I was trying to be nice and didn't unleash any Eiji's or something on Inuyasha that chapter. He will also tease Miroku. :)

_holly_ - Uuum sooory. I guess that was a pretty long wait... Anyway, I hope you like how I continue my story. I'll try to update more often again, it should at least work with the next chapter.

_Vesta, the great_ - Glad you like it. I will try to write a believable childhood even if it's kind of not ordinary. I think this chapter won't have you worry that much, but there is still much ahead. Evil grin  
Well, my style kind of develops with this fic. If I can get enough experience with this fic, maybe I'll follow your advise of seriously starting to write. :) Who knows?

_Anime-05_ - Hope I'll stay at your favorites. :) I'm sorry for the long wait, but sooner wasn't possible.

_Admiral Biatch_ - Well, I'll try to look after your story now that I finally posted this. :) Late time was really stressy...

_nekochan614_ - Well, I hope I'll find time to continue this story faster. The plot won't be my problem for a while...

_Cataluna_ - Thanks for reviewing. Somehow your name rung in my ears, and when I checked I saw you wrote the Buffy-crossover. I hope I dropped you a review...  
I was at your homepage and saw your really good "Best Fictions" list (I'm on it :) ). Anyway, there is one fic that I find missing : "Crazy little Thing called Love", by Queen of Swords. The story isn't nearly as sappy as the title sounds, and in my opinion it's one of the best IY stories ever written. I think it can easily compare to a "Easy as 1,2,3" or one of Rosefire's works, and it's finished. Find it with Google (search for inu yasha crazy), it's not on but her personal homepage.  
I'm glad you like my integration of the prayer beads, it's a delicate subject. I really hope to read more from you!

_Ookami-chan_ - Wow, the "Turnabout"-mistress herself. Quite an audience :) I think you are one of the best authors out there, so I'm really honored by your review. Well, if I ever get that far, the prayer beads should become more touchy than they already are. I hope I don't screw that up...  
I'm lucky that I seem to have good intention concerning the balance of the dialogues, beside my "greater" plot I don't have many things planned out, I usually just start writing. For me that's the best way of writing, I have a plot to follow but I have enough "mobility" to write as I see fit. Until now it works. :)  
Finally, do you think I this fic is fit to be posted on Iridecent Dreams? Tamerlane offered to recommend me two months ago, but stupid me declined.

_Tokyobabe2040_ - I'm not 100 satisfied with how Inuyasha is proceeding in the manga and especially the anime. Is part of the reason why I'm writing this and when the story is playing.  
Sorry, but I seriously didn't have the time for writing E-Mails. I think the time it took to write this chapter says it all... Hope you're not disappointed :)  
I'm not the greatest Sessh/Kag fan, at least when the story is written like 99 of the others. Inuyasha is mean, Kagome runs away, Sessh finds her. Gah! There are a few exceptions, but I normally can't imagine human-loathing Sessh with Kagome, and most stories can't convince me otherwise.

_Tinuviel_ - Thanks for both reviews. It actually makes me proud that it took you long to catch up. I love long chapters, hope you do too. If not, you can pause anytime. :) Good luck with your parents.  
Shippou is warming up again, but the focus of this chapter isn't really on him...

_Chris-san_ - Yup, some time has passed since your last review. :) I don't think that I'll abandon this story like "White Dog", and I don't have any intentions to start another fic (this is the greatest story-killer, actually.)  
Well, the rest is in my E-Mail. Don't have much else to say except have fun reading. (And how far are you with your next chapter?)

_celadonserpent_ - Thanks for the praise, out of your mouth it means something. :) Well, I guess my greatest problem with writing is that English isn't my native tongue, so I'm often not sure with some terms. My beta-readers are a real help in that regard.

**Disclaimer:   
**Still not mine. The song lyrics are from _Enigma_.

**Special thanks to: **  
_Merith_ has done the editing this time. Being a native English speaker, she is a great help in finding out bad phrased sentences. She also helped with the current plot, especially in the chapter to follow. Thanks a lot!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_Don't submit to stupid rules  
Be yourself and not a fool.  
Don't accept average habits  
Open your heart and  
**Push the Limits**_

Sango woke up right after sunrise. She looked up and saw that Inuyasha was awake too, he acknowledged her with a nod. For once he didn't look as impatient as usual, but rather thoughtful. She guessed that he too had some thinking to do.

She hated waking up early; she rarely was able to sleep further once she was awake. She got up and stretched, watching out to be quiet because everyone but Inuyasha was still asleep. Miroku was sleeping on his back, his face having a neutral expression. It didn't sport either the serene nor the cheerful look he usually wore.

Thinking that now was the best time to sort out her thoughts, she got up, taking her sword and her battle suit with her. "I'm going for a walk," she told Inuyasha. He didn't even spare her a second look when she left, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Knowing her friends would be safe, she took off into the woods.

She walked on the soft ground, careful not to stumble over the occasional tree roots. They were deep in the forest now and wouldn't reach a village this day. The first birds were chirping, welcoming the spring; as it was morning, many different kinds of bird had joined. Sango took a deep breath of the moist, fresh air, enjoying the concert. She continued to walk, listening to the chirping. After walking for some time she found a glade, still engulfed in shadows because the high trees didn't let the sun reach the place yet.

It looked a bit gloomy, but the sun was reaching the treetops to her left, and it was just a matter of time until the glade would be lightened as well. Somehow she liked the atmosphere, it fitted her mood. ´_Between light and darkness..._´

She walked to the center of the clearing, looking around to make sure she was alone. In a way she envied Miroku's and Kagome's sixth sense that let them _feel_ others, friends and enemies alike. She had to rely on her sight and her hearing, although in that aspect, she most likely outdid all of her friends except Inuyasha.

She got out of her clothes while watching out for Miroku, and changed into her battle dress. Unlike many other girls, who would like to babble about everything that troubled them, she liked to think things through for herself. She would have liked to be as open as Kagome, but she just wasn't. When she was finished with changing, she formed a ball out of her kimono and threw it next to a tree.

She pulled the katana out of its sheath, taking the hilt in a double-handed grip. She hadn't done a kata for the longest time, and right now she felt like doing one, it had always helped her when some musing had been in order. She closed her eyes, forcing the rate of her breathing down. Pushing her thoughts away, she concentrated only on her body, on her breath, her heartbeat. When she had centered enough, she finally began.

She made a few blind strikes before she opened her eyes, trying to take in all of her surroundings as she sliced through the air. She began to move through all the basic attacks, which were only rather easy sword strokes without any additional kicks or punches. The beginning of the exercise wasn't straining and also served as warming up.

Miroku was becoming more unequivocal towards her. In the beginning she had been able to ignore his advances as dishonest, when he had kept groping her and had asked every beautiful woman on his way to bear his child. But lately he made it no question whom he was focusing on, and she couldn't say she was unhappy for it.

She finished the basics, and continued with more advanced forms. She let go of the hilt with her left hand, swinging the katana single-handed. She quickened her pace, slicing through imaginary enemies, while using her free hand for twisting arms, throwing punches, blocking attacks.

Secretly she had always hoped that Miroku would turn his attention on her alone; she couldn't say why, but he attracted her. Maybe it was because of his carefree and collected manner, keeping his cool even facing death. Maybe because he didn't abide by the rules which had to exist for his profession, living so completely unlike her, who had always lived the rules of her clan.

Now that her wish was finally fulfilled, she felt unsure on how to act around him. Unlike other girls in her age, who would be married by now, she hadn't even had a real boyfriend. Bunjiro could be counted as childhood crush, but she'd rather not think of him.

She had never cared much about acting like a woman, even as a child she had liked to play with the boys more than spending her time with the other girls, cradling dolls and learning to cook.

She took the sword into her other hand, repeating the forms with the left-handed grip. She could use her left hand as well as her right, a rare gift. She thought that she had inherited it from her great grandfather, who had been able to use his hands independently. She had never been that good, but still had been better than the rest of her village.

It had been that gift that had opened her the door to the path she had been treading on since she was seven. She remembered how victorious she had felt the day when she had won the bet with her father, surprising him with her dexterity. If she hadn't won it, she wouldn't have been allowed to training, like all the other girls.

Normally only boys had been trained as youkai hunters, and even they had had to undergo a selection procedure. She guessed that only a third had passed the test, the rest had learned different professions; blacksmiths had also been asked for, because the village had crafted weapons and armor with the remains of the exterminated youkai.

All the women in her village had received basic education with the naginata, so they would stand a chance should there ever be an attack, but they hadn't been permitted to the actual training. ´_Obviously, it wouldn't have hurt them,_´ she thought with a sad frown.

Because the survival of the village had depended on the extermination of youkai, her talent simply hadn't left her people any other option than training her too. She had been very proud back then, and she still was, but over the years she had also tasted the bitter side of being extraordinary. Her friends falling for more refined girls; the women mumbling about her; the men complimenting her by saying it was a shame that she wasn't born a boy.

Because of the training, she had spent most of her live in the company of boys. The other girls had often been uneasy and envious around her, so she had never had much contact with them. Maybe that was one of the reasons why she didn't know how to assess Miroku, although she had needed had needed to fend off some boys when she had grown to an age where they became interested in her. In fact, Bunjiro was the reason she was very cautious towards Miroku, still not trusting him in relationship matters. ´_Screw that bastard._´

Turning her attention back to the kata, she entered the final part, attacking full force. She began to incorporate her feet into her attacks, kicking and jumping, using her whole body as a weapon. The sword switched between her hands numerous times, never staying in one for too long. Unlike before, she didn't follow a program, but just moved as she saw fit. She danced through the sun-dappled glade, her sword flashing as it moved through the sun's rays.

She fell into a trance-like state, fixing all of her attention on her surroundings. The strain was finally taking its toll, her breath coming very quickly, and she felt her muscles beginning to spasm. Still she continued for some minutes more at full speed, before she began to slow down gradually, in the end coming to a stop.

She bent forward, pausing for breath. These were the moments she liked the most, when she sank into the kata. Beside having something almost hypnotic, at least for her, kata was also good training. It incorporated many secret moves of her clan - it had been strictly forbidden to show it to outsiders.

She was the only one alive who knew most of the wisdom of her clan, all of the secret techniques, the recipes how to create poisons and which youkai they affected, knowledge about behavior, strengths and weaknesses of different species. Wisdom that had been developed for centuries, wisdom that was about to die out. She felt it as a heavy burden, knowing that she would have to teach it soon, but having no knowledge to whom, or even if she was able to.

Just being very good in using her wisdom and training didn't imply she was able to teach. She had helped Kohaku sometimes, but she had only given him tips and trained with him, not led his education.

Finally having regained her breath, she sat down against a tree that was already reached by the sunlight. She needed to rest a bit after the exertion and closed her eyes, enjoying how she still noticed the sunlight through her shut eyelids as a warm color.

She wondered if Inuyasha had had some doubts before he had begun teaching Shippou. Most likely not, in everything concerning fighting the hanyou showed impressive self-confidence. ´_Well,_´ she thought´_not completely unfounded._´

Inuyasha was a naturally talented person, and his hanyou body granted him abilities to back up his talent. He was stronger and faster than she could ever hope to be; he was able to take excessive amounts of injuries still regenerated incredibly fast. His claws were able to penetrate almost every armor, making him dangerous even unarmed.

His eyesight seemed to be very adaptable. She had watched him at night and noticed he didn't seem to be limited after the sunlight had faded away. She had also noticed how much he relied on the senses of smell and hearing; even when he slept his ears turned into the direction of the slightest sound.

Besides that, he seemed to have received some training, Kagome had told as much. She wondered why he tried to keep it secret, now that she was finally sure that Inuyasha had had training she wondered why he didn't put it to use. Her greatest reason for ignoring her doubts about Inuyasha's abilities had been the thought that the hanyou would use everything he had in a fight.

She wondered what she would be able to do with Inuyasha's capabilities. She considered herself in very good shape and training, but she couldn't compare to his raw strength. She remembered the time Naraku had coaxed her into killing Inuyasha - he had won the fight without even hurting her. She had trained all her life, and still she hadn't been able to beat him when he hadn't even been fighting seriously.

She opened her eyes, averting her gaze from the sun to not look directly into it. It was interesting, imagining herself with his power. He would be able to uproot the tree she was leaning against with his bare hands, while she would need an axe to fell the giant. It would surely make her job easier, but she guessed she was good enough as she was; after all she hadn't been the best in her village for nothing.

With a small smile she remembered that she had often been the only one who had been trusted enough to do a job alone. Her father had tried to not show it too openly, but he had been very proud of her. Her mother too; she had just sometimes complained that it was too risky and her little girl shouldn't go all alone.

She stood up, tearing her thoughts away from the past. She walked over to the tree she had thrown her kimono next to. Sighing, she picked it up and left the glade. She didn't head back to the camp immediately; before returning she wanted to take a bath, so she headed into the opposite direction, knowing that the river had to be there. She didn't want to return all sweaty, not if she could help it. After a hard battle she usually kept some distance to other people, especially Miroku, until she had a bath.

Kagome was also very fixated on cleaning herself, and the guys sometimes made fun of the miko, so Sango didn't make a fuss about liking to have a cleaned body. Sometimes it couldn't be helped to be covered by blood and worse in her profession, and after many years of youkai hunting she had gotten used to, but that didn't mean that she liked it. It actually was a reason why she preferred to use Hiraikotsu even for smaller enemies - it allowed her to stay out of reach.

She continued on her way. After some time she could hear the whirring of the river. Slightly altering her direction, she headed directly for it. When she finally reached the river, she slipped out of her clothing, again keeping her guard up. Miroku had a sixth sense when it came to barging in on bathing women, and with an annoyed expression she realized that he had seen her naked, but not the other way round. Grinning she wondered if she could embarrass him by barging in on him for once.

She didn't know how the monk would react, but she doubted he would be ashamed. Most likely she would end up far more embarrassed than him, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea. ´_Sango, I didn't know you were that interested in me,_´ she could almost hear him say, the grin plastered over his whole face. But if she could make it look like an accident? She would have to place the guilt on him, somehow.

She wondered what the monk looked like under the always-present robe. He had to have a well shaped body from his demanding lifestyle, traveling much and always sleeping outside, at least when he was not tricking some rich villager. And his staff was made of solid steel. She didn't think its weigh could rival with Hiraikotsu, but it still ought to be heavy. She wondered if he also had scars from his battles. If she didn't have the ugly scar on her back, maybe she wouldn't be so paranoid while bathing.

Calculating everything together, she guessed the sight of him would be worth the trouble. She laughed lightly, it seemed like the monk was infecting her with his lecherous thoughts. At least she wouldn't go as far as groping him, although it would be interesting how he would react to that. She didn't think he would like being treated that way. She blushed slightly actually imagining touching Miroku...

Returning her concentration to the task at hand, she kneeled down next to the river and splashed some water over her body. She knew it wasn't healthy to just jump into, even if it was more comfortable, so she acclimated her body first. The water had a freezing cold temperature, and she had to suppress some shivers, before finally slipping into the river.

It still was quite a shock. She started to swim faster, trying to keep her body warm, although she knew she was fighting a losing battle. If she stayed in there too long, she would catch her death, so she only swam a small round before she returned to the river bank and quickly climbed out.

She dried her body with her battle suit as well as she could, knowing that the sweaty stench it still had wouldn't carry over. She looked down at her arms, seeing that they were covered by goose bumps. Once again quickening, she slipped into her clean kimono, hoping that she wouldn't catch a cold.

She picked up her battle garb and held it into the river to clean it. After some times she got it out and wrung it. Then she picked up her sword and started to jog back to the camp; her kimono was tailored to provide some mobility, so she was able to keep up an acceptable pace. She knew it was important that she warmed up again, or she would catch a cold; it would also help to prevent sore muscles, together with the bath.

In retrospective, bathing in the cold river maybe hadn't been the smartest idea, but there was no other way to clean herself out in the wild; they wouldn't reach a village today, and she didn't want to wait longer.

She was even more eager to bath after a battle since she was traveling with Miroku; she really didn't want to repel him, and was glad that he had never shown any signs he found her disgusting. ´_He would be the wrong one to complain anyway,_´ she thought, remembering that he was often more soiled than herself; Hiraikotsu was really useful to keep out of the worst.

Miroku was a really strange mix of a person, keeping his head in the most life-threatening situations, but losing it in the presence of every beautiful woman. He could act refined and educated, but then he always tried to grope her, at least he had until the last week. He was hard to range in, sometimes being extremely calculable, and other times being extremely cunning. Maybe that was another reason that attracted her to Miroku, for being a lech he could be surprisingly sharp-witted.

Once more she was in her father's debt. Being the village head he had talked the teacher in their village to accept her into class although she was a girl, allowing her some education; now she was able to sometimes have an interesting discussion with Miroku and not just small talk.

Of course it had been uninteresting sometimes, but if she looked back, she was glad that she had had the chance to learn reading, writing and some mathematics. She even thought that she had profited more than majority of the class, as many of the boys had just been annoyed and hadn't listened at all.

She guessed her lack of boyfriends could also be explained by the fact that most of the boys in her village simply hadn't had the brains to be interesting to her. That she outdid all of them at fighting hadn't helped to make them more interesting, and especially the last year she had been out of her village often, so she often hadn't seen them for weeks.

She heard something to her left; turning her head into the direction of the sound, she noticed it was only a squirrel. Being alone in the woods always required extra attention, even if one didn't count youkai, there were still dangerous animals living in the forest, wolves or boars for example.

Her thoughts returned to Miroku's education. He must have had a more thorough one, being a priest. She wondered if he had been interested or had just learned because it was expected from him. She thought that both was possible, he was a patient listener, but it was hard to tell if something interested him. Sometimes she didn't known if she bored him with a topic, as he never ran out of patience. At least Kagome knew at once when Inuyasha was annoyed by something.

She arrived at the glade where she had trained, noticing the shadows had grown much shorter, compared to when she arrived here earlier in the morning. She wondered how long she was away from her friends, but it had to be more than an hour.

She crossed the opening and entered the forest again. After a while the warmth was finally returning to her body, only her fingers still felt the cold. She slowed her pace, settling back to walking, now that she didn't have to warm up anymore.

She wondered what Miroku found interesting about her. ´_Beside my body..._´ she thought, looking down at herself. At least in that aspect she was lucky, she was slim - slender but not thin. Maybe she had more muscle than most women, but it wasn't conspicuous. She thought that her breasts were of good size and that she had a nice face, she didn't have to hide behind the girls Miroku used to flirt with.

With a frown she realized that this maybe was how he thought about her. But what about the times he had been understanding? She wondered if it had been real or just hitting on her on a bigger level. She thought herself able to see through his phrases, but maybe he just had used them to distract her from the bigger scheme?

"Miroku, what are you planning?" she muttered to herself. She hoped he wasn't just scheming to get her into bed, he didn't seem that uncaring to her. They just had fun sometimes, especially when they were discussing something, or teasing each other; Miroku was one of the few people who was able to seriously embarrass her just by luring her into word games. Luckily she was able to pay him back sometimes, so the abashments were kind of in balance.

She was really glad she had met him. She didn't think she would have been able to deal with the death of her whole village if she hadn't met Miroku and his friends; she had planned her battle with Inuyasha to be her last one, and it had almost been. But the group had accepted her although she had thoughtlessly attacked them in the beginning, and everyone had offered their own way of helping her. Despite his sometimes very unholy behavior the monk was one of the few people she trusted with her life. She had realized it some time ago, that she relied and could rely on Miroku more than she ever had on anybody else.

She finally reached the camp. Inuyasha was still sitting up at the tree, staring off into space. The only difference was that he was looking annoyed again, most possibly because of Miroku. The monk was standing directly under the tree, arguing with the hanyou who was ignoring him completely. It seemed to be about her absence.

Kagome saw her first; the miko was still lying in the sleeping bag and by chance looking in her direction. Sango waved at her and shouted, "Good morning!", also to help Inuyasha out. The hanyou didn't look at her, but Miroku turned around at once. She kept walking, quickening her pace. She was glad that nobody looked angry that she had sneaked away, especially as Inuyasha didn't seem like he had told them not to worry.

Miroku waited until she reached him. "Where have you been, Sango?" he asked her curiously.

She looked at him, trying to assess Miroku. Had he been worrying about her? "Why do you want to know?" she asked him, looking innocently interested.

Miroku didn't want to admit he had been worrying too fast. "Just curious," he answered her, smiling his serene smile.

Sango also didn't want to give in, not missing the chance to play a joke on Miroku. "Is being curious fitting for a monk?" she asked him.

"I think you got something wrong there, Sango," Miroku answered before pausing for effect. When Sango gave him an interested look, he continued, "Without knowledge it is impossible to be able to help the people around you, so curiosity is very common throughout my profession."

"So you are making curiosity a virtue?" Sango asked with a teasing undertone.

"If you say so," Miroku answered, grinning back.

"Would you two shut up this useless chatter?" Inuyasha grumbled from his tree. "Are we ready to go?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood this morning," Miroku said to the hanyou. Inuyasha seemed rather grumpy, when he had asked where Sango was off to, the only answer he got had been that she was away. After that he had just been ignored by the hanyou, although he thought that Inuyasha had already looked seriously annoyed when Sango had returned and probably wouldn't have lasted much longer.

"Keh!" Inuyasha jumped down the tree. When he landed, he folded his arms in front of him and straightened himself, trying to look intimidating. "None of your business."

Miroku turned back to Sango, ignoring Inuyasha. "Have you ever heard the saying´Barking dogs don't bite´, Sango?" he asked the youkai huntress loud enough for the rest to hear.

Sango couldn't stifle a laugh, especially when she saw Inuyasha's face turn a shade redder. The hanyou seethed, growling at Miroku, who deliberately continued to ignore him. "Have you ever heard the saying´Proper monks don't grope´, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked the girl, who was still sitting in her sleeping bag.

Kagome, who had just been snickering until then, suddenly found herself drawn into the quarrel. Deciding to lend a hand to Inuyasha, she nodded and answered, "I think Miroku hasn't."

"Damn right!" Inuyasha agreed, smirking at the monk.

Miroku sighed theatrically. "I assure you, this is one huge misunderstanding..." he answered. Then he suddenly grinned and stepped beside Sango, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "This is not groping, is it?" he asked his friends.

The whole group, including Shippou, who was looking out from the sleeping bag, stared at Sango and the arm around her, causing her to blush at all the attention. Kagome giggled, while Inuyasha settled for his all-round "Keh".

"You see, this would be groping ..." Miroku continued, sliding his hand down Sango's back, but was stopped when she elbowed him in the gut. He took a step away, holding his stomach. "It was just for demonstration, I swear!" he told Sango, who was looking annoyed. "I would never take advantage of you," he solemnly vowed to her, regaining his composure.

"As if I would let you," Sango muttered. _'Does he always have to ruin the mood?'_

"But Sango, you are much too beautiful and intelligent to just be taken advantage of," Miroku told her, stepping closer to her and looking very serious. "The man who wins your heart can count himself lucky for the rest of his life," he continued, taking her hand between his.

Sango uncomfortably looked to the ground, although appreciating the praise. "Thank you," she told him. Then she looked up, determination on her face. "But if you try to demonstrate something again, I will demonstrate Hiraikotsu on you, is that clear?" she told Miroku, semi-playfully punching him against the arm.

"Crystal-clear." Miroku rushed to answer, giving Hiraikotsu a side look. Damned boomerang! "You are right of course," he continued, smiling again, "it was inconsiderate of me to demonstrate something as crude as groping on you."

Sango gave the slick monk a critical look. Kagome cut in before the youkai huntress could answer. "How about some breakfast?" the miko suggested, meeting approval from everyone but Inuyasha.

They prepared the breakfast and then sat down in a circle around it, beginning to eat. Inuyasha ate only a few bites and continued to grumble that they were wasting time. Kagome rolled her eyes at the antics.

The rest of the group also didn't eat too much, they had had a good meal the last evening. When they finished, they packed their belongings and prepared for departure. Kagome decided to use her bike once again, to spare Kirara some weight.

Inuyasha watched them uninterested, yawning demonstratively.

"Inuyasha, can't you do something helpful?" Kagome complained, hauling her backpack on her bike, while Sango was packing the supplies on Kirara.

"Keh! Why should I help if you don't speed up?" Inuyasha shot back.

"Because we maybe would be quicker if you'd help us?" Kagome retaliated.

Inuyasha gave her a glare. "Keh!" He looked at his group, they finally seemed finished. "Ready to go?"

They set out after some more complaints about Inuyasha's inactivity, earning nothing but snorts from the hanyou. Kagome sighed - when Inuyasha decided to be pig-headed, it was impossible to reason with him. Recently it had happened less often, but this morning the hanyou was setting a perfect example for his stubbornness.

"Inuyasha, if you help like everyone else next time, we would really be quicker," Kagome picked up where she left off. Maybe she could reason with him, now that everyone was calmed down again.

Miroku sensed another useless argument coming, and slowed his pace, falling back without attracting attention, not wanting to be drawn in. He admired Kagome's endurance in trying to teach Inuyasha some manners, but it was tedious standing by. He noticed Sango followed his example, and to his great satisfaction Shippou and Kirara stayed with Inuyasha and Kagome.

"So, where have you really been this morning, Sango?" he queried again. "It's not uncommon for Inuyasha to be away in the morning, but you really had me worried when you suddenly vanished without a trace."

Sango smiled inwardly. So he had really been worrying for her? "I was just going for a walk. Inuyasha didn't tell you?"

"Not a single word," Miroku answered her. "It seems to be one of his obstinate days. He just sat up the tree, completely ignoring me. Although I think if you hadn't arrived he would have lost his patience soon," he told her, grinning.

"Looks like you can match Inuyasha's stubbornness," Sango laughed.

"On the contrary, my dear Sango," Miroku objected. He stopped walking, getting a curious look from Sango. Grabbing her hands, he continued, "It was worry about your well being." He noticed the cute blush on Sango's face and gave her one of his widest grins.

Sango started walking again, trying to hide her abashment. "You were worried?"

Miroku made a few quick steps to catch up with her. "Of course. It's not ordinary to find you missing in the morning." He looked at her, interested. "And why did you take your battle uniform and your katana with you if you were only going for a walk?"

"Well, I did some training on the way," she told him. "Nothing extra-ordinary."

"Really?" He gave her a critical look. "Can I come with you next time?"

"Hmm." Sango thought about that. "We'll see."

Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Was she lying? Or didn't she want to be watched? She usually didn't have problems with audience when fighting... Had she been hunting some youkai? Or someone else? Maybe he was interpreting too much into it, but it was indeed very unusual for Sango to disappear; even more so without Kirara and her boomerang.

It didn't seem she wanted to tell him - he had asked her twice and she had evaded him both times. Maybe she would tell him later, and maybe it wasn't even important. ´_Too many maybes..._´ he thought grimacing. He hated not knowing what was going on.

"How much success do you think is Kagome having in re-educating Inuyasha?" he asked, changing the topic. Gossiping about the two was always good pastime when there was nothing else to do.

Sango had to grin. "I don't think she's having much luck. As you said, it seems to be one of Inuyasha's stubborn days. I wonder how his mother was able to bear him when he was young, he must have been one hell of a child."

"I bet he never listened to her," Miroku laughed, "especially when she was trying to teach him some manners." He grinned, imagining Inuyasha's mother losing patience to the antics of the little hanyou.

"Obviously not," Sango agreed.

"What do you think about Eiji? Do you agree with Kagome's theory that the person he tried to kill was indeed Inuyasha's mother?"

Sango nodded. "I think it's the best guess we've made so far. It's a strange coincidence though, that the possibly sole survivor of the village massacre has ties to Inuyasha and his mother."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "It didn't seem to me as if Inuyasha played a role in the massacre itself, but it is hard to evaluate the statements of the confused old man. Maybe Inuyasha was also involved."

An idea suddenly popping up in her head, Sango stopped. "It couldn't be?"

"What do you mean?"

"That it wasn't a werewolf?" Sango went on. "But a were-_dog_?"

"You mean Inuyasha attacked the village as revenge for his mother? But wouldn't have someone recognized him as a demon?" Miroku voiced his doubts. The thought that the hanyou they had gotten to know so well would slaughter a whole village was hard to believe. Although, when he remembered the carnage that had ensued with the moth youkai Gatenmaru and his bandits, he knew very well what Inuyasha was capable of. Still, the transformed hanyou hadn't been in his right mind back then. "I don't think anyone would mistake Inuyasha for a werewolf."

"Let me finish," Sango interrupted. "Sesshoumaru, as all dog youkai, is capable of turning into a dog, and from what I have heard from Kagome his form was really large, and their father's was gigantic. So, with such an ancestry, why shouldn't Inuyasha be able to do something similar?"

Miroku thought about Sango's idea. "I think that's too far-fetched. We've been through many fights before, and there was never any sign of it. Even since Tetsusaiga was broken, his body only transformed into a stronger and not a dog form. Before his sword broke he didn't transform at all. He didn't even know why he had transformed after having beaten Goshinki, so I think that was the very first time he turned youkai."

"Hmmm. But Eiji just had heard rumors when he fled the village, he actually never saw the attacker." Sango still wasn't convinced.

"You are basing your idea on too many suppositions," Miroku stopped her. "Do you really think Inuyasha would slaughter a whole village just because someone threatened his mother? And letting exactly that someone, namely Eiji, escape?"

Sango sighed. "I don't know. I just feel that there is more to Eiji and Inuyasha than they told us." Over the years she had learned to trust her instinct, it had saved her life on more than one occasion.

"I have to agree on that, but doesn't mean we have to rely on far-fetched presumptions," Miroku pacified. Since she had heard of the werewolf who had likely killed her great grandfather, she looked set on finding it, if it was still alive. Fifty years was a lot of time though. "We will have to find better clues, instead of taking wild guesses."

"You are right," Sango admitted. "Although it's not very probable to find better clues."

"See it from the positive side : If there are no rumors, it means the beast is likely already dead," Miroku tried to cheer her up. ´_It's not like you have to take revenge for your great grandfather, you already have enough people to avenge._´

"Hmph." Sango's response didn't sound too excited. ´_Has to be her hunting instinct,_´ Miroku thought. Obviously she didn't like to let a prey escape, once she had taken up the trail.

"I just want to be prepared," Sango continued, "and Inuyasha is keeping many things away from us. Just take his throw for example."

"What about it?" Miroku asked.

"I think there's more behind it," Sango explained. "Kagome told us yesterday that Inuyasha admitted that he had received some training, but as always he is keeping the details to himself."

"Does that bother you?" Miroku wanted to know. "It's nothing new from him."

"Yes, but why does he keep that secret? Why doesn't he use his skills in our fights? There is something seriously wrong if he is holding back!" Sango lowered her voice again, noticing she had been speaking up. "I mean, Inuyasha holding back, of all people! Doesn't that sound strange to you?"

Miroku was a bit surprised how much she seemed to be thinking about it. "Well, I kind of accepted it," he admitted. "Why do you keep thinking about it?"

"Well, if I should ever have to face Inuyasha, I'd like to know my enemy," the youkai huntress explained. "You can't tell me that you weren't anxious when we stood against him two days ago."

"You were anxious?" Miroku asked teasingly, grinning at her.

Sango elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't fool around. You were, too, admit it."

"Well, having some respect when facing someone like Inuyasha can only be considered healthy," Miroku stated, rubbing his side.

"I think we have been hugely underestimating him until now. You have seen how far he goes when he's pushed; he defeated Ryuukotsusei all by himself," Sango went on. "Only Sesshoumaru has beaten him once so far, and that with the help of Toukijin, after Inuyasha was seriously wounded, transformed, and poisoned."

"Well, I still think Sesshoumaru is the stronger of the two brothers," Miroku interjected. "Especially when you count in the age difference."

Sango gave him a critical look. "And how old are the two?"

Miroku shrugged. "Inuyasha is at least fifty years younger, because of the years he spent pinned to the Goshinboku. It would be interesting how large the age difference initially was."

"In other words, you have no idea," Sango muttered. "But back to topic, Inuyasha is a lot better than he lets on. I don't like it when I underestimated someone."

"How do you evaluate me?" Miroku asked, giving her an interested look.

"Hmm, let me think. A great actor, easily distracted, and unbelievable with his share of holy powers," the youkai huntress numerated, teasing the monk by saying it deliberately slow, also letting the grin seep into her voice.

"You forgot clever, good-looking, reliable," Miroku continued.

"And overbearing," Sango countered.

"I'm just being objective," the monk answered.

"And overbearing," Sango repeated.

Miroku threw an arm around her and pulled her close to him. Grinning at her, he stated, "You didn't deny me."

Sango blushed from the sudden contact. "You're not being serious again."

"How can I be serious when you keep distracting me?" Miroku asked the youkai huntress, looking her in the eye.

"Houshi-sama," Sango said, prying his hand away, "I won't be taken in by your sweet-talk."

´_Dammit!_´ Miroku thought. ´_I'm really trying my best here! What else can I do?_´ If it kept going like that, he would be out of ideas soon. "Just Miroku."

Sango gave him a critical look. How much did it mean to him? She remembered Bunjiro telling something similar. How serious could she take Miroku's flatteries? Should she apologize for being rude? "We are catching up with Inuyasha," she said instead, seeing the hanyou lying on the ground, obviously from Kagome's spell.

Miroku had to suppress a scowl. Couldn't they have been left alone some time more? He didn't want to part like they were now, he had somehow offended Sango, and now he wouldn't have the chance to make up.

They reached their friends, hearing Kagome chiding Inuyasha, it looked like it had been going on for some time. "Just because you are stronger doesn't mean you can do as you like! There are rules valid for everyone, and that includes you!" Shippou was sitting on her shoulder, watching the back of the hanyou, while Kirara was lying in the grass next to them.

Sango stopped next to Kagome, but Miroku kept walking. He griped his staff harder, not showing his annoyance at Kagome's speech otherwise. Finally turning, he looked back. The hanyou looked as interested as he was himself. Luckily the miko couldn't see Inuyasha's face, or she would have likely sat him again.

When the effect of the spell finally wore off, Inuyasha got up, crossing his arms. "Keh!" With that, he walked off, catching up with Miroku. The monk fell in step, and they continued in silence.

Miroku didn't feel like brooding often, but now definitely was one of these moments. Sango just kept confusing him, he could swear that she at least liked him, but then she always pushed him away; even now when he wasn't groping her. What the hell did she want from him? Somehow she ... "How is it going?" Miroku suddenly heard from beside him, feeling Shippou hop on his shoulder.

"Yeah Miroku, are you doing well with your girl?" Inuyasha asked with a mocking voice, seemingly venting his frustration on the monk.

"Obviously not," Miroku admitted. "And you?"

"Keh! None of your business."

Miroku sighed. At least he wasn't the only one with girl problems. "Are our two favorite girls having a private discussion again?" he asked the fox child.

"You bet! They sent me off because they wanted to have a 'girl talk'," Shippou informed them. "Kagome was really fuming, Inuyasha, especially because you left her behind like that." He was beginning to feel unthreatened around the hanyou again, although he tried to express himself as calming as possible. Listening to one of Inuyasha and Kagome's arguments had really helped to restore a level of normality.

"Keh! It's her own fault if she thinks she can force me! I'm fed up with her fucking speeches about manners and crap!" the hanyou burst out. "Inuyasha this, Inuyasha that not, Inuyasha blah blah blah."

"You aren't having your most calm day, are you?" Miroku asked.

"Obviously not," Inuyasha imitated. "And you?"

"None of your business," Miroku answered.

"You forgot the Keh," Shippou added.

Inuyasha sneered, before breaking out in laughter. Catching himself, he brought out, "Oi Miroku, what about the fucking Keh," before he lost it again. Miroku and Shippou were infected by Inuyasha's laughter, and after a short time laughing along side him.

"Shippou, when did you turn into a goddamn buffoon?" Inuyasha asked still laughing, patting the fox on the back.

"We shouldn't be so loud, they will hear us!" the child warned, trying to sound serious.

"Pffff! Hahaha!" Inuyasha laughed even louder. "Jo wenches," he shouted with all his might, turning back, "I hope I'm not breaking your fucking etiquette with being too loud!" He didn't see them, they had fallen back far enough to be out of sight. "Hehe! Fucking etiquette!" he laughed to himself.

"Osuwari!" it shouted out of the wood, obviously Kagome's voice was also well developed. Inuyasha was stunned. But not because he was lying face-first on the ground, because he stood. He looked unbelievingly in front of him at first, then at the rosary that was still around his neck, twisting the beads between his fingers. Then he started laughing again. "Out of range! Hehe!"

Then he shouted out loud again, "Aargh! Fucking bitch, what was that for?"

"Osuwari!" Kagome's voice could be heard again.

Inuyasha stomped with the foot against the ground, trying to imitate the crash his skull usually caused. "Goddamn bitch, cut the crap!" he shouted back.

"OSUWARI!" Unbelievable but true, the command was even louder that time. But Inuyasha still was standing on the ground. Miroku and Shippou eyed him taken aback, the hanyou seemed to be having some kind of morbid fun with the situation.

"Dammit bitch, screw your useless manners!" Inuyasha shouted back.

"OSUWARI!" Again Kagome's shout.

THUMP! Again only Inuyasha's foot. Before the hanyou could launch another insult, he was being dragged off by Miroku. "Inuyasha, what has gotten in you?" the monk asked, releasing his friend.

The hanyou was shaking uncontrolled again, but at least he was walking on his own. "Osuwari!" he brought out between laughers, "I bet her head is all red from all the shouting! All I had in front of my eyes was her head getting redder and redder..." He had to hold his stomach, not being able to get himself under control.

Miroku eyed the hanyou, humored by the hanyou's outburst. "You are sounding really stupid, you know that?" He had never seen Inuyasha good-naturedly laughing, but at the moment the hanyou's condition could only be described with violent fit of laughter.

"You are sounding like Kagome, you know that?" Inuyasha laughed back.

"You are sounding like me, you know that?" Miroku retaliated, realizing too late that he had just said that Inuyasha sounded stupid. The hanyou didn't seem to notice, though.

Inuyasha's twisted logic started working. If he himself sounded like Miroku, and Miroku sounded like Kagome, that meant... "Osuwari!" Inuyasha commanded the monk.

"Keh!" Miroku snorted back.

They both started laughing in unison. "You are sounding really stu... hehehe" the fox child couldn't complete his sentence when he started laughing too. The three continued like that for some time, until they one by one caught themselves again.

"It's good to know we are all grown-up men," Miroku stated.

Inuyasha snickered. "Yeah, and we are also behaving grown-up," he added.

"I'm a child, I'm supposed to behave childish," Shippou defended himself.

"You know, Inuyasha, I think this is the first time I saw you just laughing," Miroku told the hanyou. "One would think it would have to be over something really funny, but on something senseless like that..."

"Ah dammit, that was just too weird," Inuyasha said thoughtful, not able to laugh for his stomach hurt already. Miroku wasn't wrong, normally he didn't start laughing like a complete idiot, but he hadn't been able to help himself. "Osuwari..."

"I hope you didn't upset Kagome too much." Miroku reminded.

"Pah! Serves her right."

"And you could have picked a better moment for that, not now when she is talking to Sango," the monk added, remembering whose discussion Inuyasha had interrupted. Kagome was supposed to speak in his favor, but she likely wouldn't after that. "She would have told Sango that I have a good character, and that she really should give me a chance."

"And stuff." Inuyasha added.

Miroku had to smile at the comment. "You said that."

"Do you need Kagome's help with Sango?" Shippou asked.

"I don't know. The girl is just too damn confusing," Miroku admitted.

Inuyasha and Shippou both looked at the monk, for him to be using the word damn in connection with Sango was unusual. "What did happen?" Inuyasha wanted to know.

"Well, we talked about this and that. And then I throw an arm around her and compliment her, and she is all cold suddenly."

"You did grope her," Shippou said confidently. "Like this morning."

"I haven't touched her for a week," Miroku defended himself. "I've never expected to last that long, so this morning, with that gorgeous body standing right next to me..." he trailed of with a dreamily voice.

"So you really groped her," Inuyasha accused.

"No, I didn't! Really!" Miroku swore, coming back to reality. "I just had an arm around her waist, just like in the village, but this time she didn't seem to like it." Just when he thought he was making progress, he suddenly felt like he was further away than ever.

"But she liked it in the village?"

"Yeah, definitely." Miroku said confidently. "I was really trying to be nice and romantic, I have no idea what I did wrong." He was being straightforward, and he got slapped; he was being slow, and he got pushed away. What the hell did Sango expect from him?

"Maybe she knows you're just faking it," Inuyasha teased the monk.

"I'm not just faking, I'm really trying my hardest," Miroku clarified. He sighed, pointing his staff behind him. "I'll never understand how the mind of that woman works."

"What should I say?" Inuyasha asked. "At least yours isn't bashing you head first in the ground."

Miroku rubbed the back of his head. "Sango has other ways..."

Inuyasha snickered. "Hmm, I guess you are right. Maybe you should try hitting on Hiraikotsu, you're having much more contact with it."

Miroku grinned back. "Then I might advise you to turn your attention to Mother Earth."

"You two are hopeless," Shippou commented from the monk's shoulder. "I bet you two would have been dumped long ago without my help."

"Taking ourselves a little too importantly, aren't we?" Inuyasha commented.

Miroku was more interested in what the child had to say, so far the fox youkai's advice hadn't failed him. "Do you have a plan, Shippou?" he asked conspiratorially.

"Hmmm. Maybe you should try giving her a present," Shippou advised. "Kagome and Sango were talking about necklaces, for example. I bet she would like a small gift."

"And where should I take a necklace from?" Miroku asked aggravated; even Shippou was failing him. "I guess my sake plan is still the best we have." He touched the sake jug hidden in his cloths. "Don't forget your end of the deal, Inuyasha. I'm getting some time with Sango this evening."

"Let me guess, I'll have to take care of the brat," Inuyasha nodded at Shippou, "Kagome and Sango's cat."

"Exactly!" Miroku agreed, grinning over the whole face. "I see you've gotten grasp of the situation!"

"I'm not a brat!" Shippou declared from Miroku's shoulder, giving the monk a glare. He couldn't stand silent when the monk agreed to the insult of Inuyasha. "I'm ten times more grown up than the both of you together."

Inuyasha continued, ignoring the child, "You owe me one, Miroku. Shippou's a real pain in the ass to begin with, and Kirara and Kagome will likely expect something."

"Kirara's on my side, remember?" Miroku answered. "And Shippou is a really uncomplicated young youkai, and as long as you are nicer to Kagome, there is no problem." He heard Shippou agree with him on his shoulder, so at least the child was satisfied. "I can repay the favor, so you can have time with your miko."

"Keh! I don't need your help, monk!" Inuyasha declared over his shoulder.

"Really? So how is it going?" Miroku asked, elbowing the hanyou with a grin. Shippou looked interested too, although with an unbelieving look on his face.

"None of your business!" Inuyasha gritted out. He should have anticipated that they would soon query him, after Miroku's affairs were discussed.

"Come on, Inuyasha, everyone knows you are fancying Kagome," Miroku told the hanyou. "It won't hurt letting us help you. I'm the women expert after all," he said, pointing at himself.

"Keh! At least I don't have to drug my women," Inuyasha snorted.

Shippou laughed on Miroku's shoulder, getting a side-glance from the monk. "I didn't realize you wanted to walk..." he told the fox, who stopped immediately. "Drug is a mean word," Miroku went on, "I'm just helping her relax. But that is not your problem, is it?"

When the hanyou just offered a "Keh!" as reply, Miroku contemplated if he should continue, and decided to go with the direct approach, "Your problem is Kikyou, isn't it? You are still feeling obliged towards her."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking ahead. "And what would you do, monk? We were engaged, just a fucking few months ago!" At least her offer to marry him if he turned human, and his will to go with her plan, could only be translated into that. "Should I ignore how ... _what_ she is now?"

"No, that's not what I mean," Miroku answered. "But you will have to chose between the two. You and Kikyou can't be together, on this side of the grave... I think it is time to let the past rest."

Strangely, Inuyasha started laughing again, although this time it was bitter and didn't sport any humor. His two companions looked at the hanyou, what was wrong with him today?

"I can't lay to rest what is already sleeping..." Inuyasha answered their curious stares. He looked at his friends, seeing that they didn't know how to take his comment. When he only earned incomprehensive looks, he continued his brooding chuckle. They had to think he was turning crazy.

* * *

That's all, folks. I hope the cut isn't too out of place. This and the next chapter was originally planned as one, but as usual my writing got out of hand. When the chapter reached 12.000 words, I thought it might be better to split it, also to give you an earlier chapter. Had you waiting long enough :)

The next chapter is more than half-way written, so the wait shouldn't be nearly as long as for this. I guess two weeks. I have to admit that having no time for writing and laziness form a vicious circle, at least it works that way for me...

**April 29th, 2003:** Chapter 11 finished.

**February 05th, 2005:** Last revision of the chapter.


	13. Chapter 12: Heaven Tonight

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Settle the Score  
_by Chri_

  
**Author rantings : **

I'm really sorry for not updating for so long. Somehow, I just didn't find the time for writing. I'm writing quite fast (I think), but my problem is that I write very slow until I "find back" into my story. This leads to no writing in only short spare time, because I don't have the time to "find back"... 

To do at least a bit, I started revising the older chapters with the help of _Kat Morning_ and _Daniel-Gudman_. I guess that's a cold comfort, but you wouldn't believe the number of errors Kat found. And Daniel knows a lot bout ancient Japan, and helped out with some interesting facts. Anyway, the next chapters will come faster!

What I liked the most about the latest reviews was that Inuyasha's sudden humor wasn't perceived as OOC. I guess I'm trying to walk untreaded paths, but sometimes that leads to strange situations.

Sango's past was inspired a bit by an article about one of the first women allowed to university here (100 dunno what years ago), and I thought Sango's situation could have been similar.

Anyway, this chapter is lighter, and I think I can say I got it angst-free! :) I guess this is the lightest chapter I've written till now. Sit back and enjoy!

  
**Reviews revisited : **

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Merith - Thanks a lot for your help! You haven't only provided the general idea, but also prevented Miroku and Sango from entangling their limbs :) Also, thanks for the betaing, when you probably had other things on your mind. I really know to appreciate this!  
I hope your work will get easier soon. Maybe my story can help relax a bit, I don't know. I hope you aren't burdening yourself with too much work, with all the authors you seem to help.  
Arigatou!

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Warrior of Forest - I hope the length of my update can make up a bit for the long pause...

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Sakura-Hikaru - I wanted to write you an E-Mail about the Iraq discussion, but didn't find an address. I've looked again at your profile and noticed one, so I'll try to send an answer there. I don't think discussing the war here is the right place, although I'm sounding hypocritical as I started the discussion in the first place.  
And yes, you found me out :) The last and this chapter are sort of a Mir/San-interlude. I'm trying to work some plot in, their discussion about IY, for instance, or Inuyasha's sudden humor. IY will have to change a bit the next chapters, and this was a good way to start it and keep him in character. I get you're an attentive reader, it could be called foreshadowing.  
Thanks for your review, I like the "verbos" ones :)

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Admiral Biatch - You're Iraq opinion seems to match with mine a bit. I don't think that Idealism is a motivation for a government, something like terroristic threats, economic reasons and long-run political stability sounds more down to earth to me :)  
The end of this story is so far in the future, I'm not spending much thought on it. I think I'll also use my bio more in the future. I didn't give a lifesign far too long. About kata, it looks very formal and lacks the thrill of a real fight. But it can look cool nonetheless.

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Amargo Scribe - Well, I'll try to give the werewolf thing a twist. It's far in the future, though. I hope that I'll get to the part I really want to write, Inuyasha's past, soon, but I think there are something like 40.000 words up ahead. Damn my useless planning... :)

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Nuklear Firefly - I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. The interlude I started there is being finished with this chapter. I hope you like the Mir/San-stuff here, too.

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Tinuviel - I also think it was good to free Iraq of Saddam. I just think it would have been possible with the consent of the UN. (And, as far as I know, no missiles of mass destruction have been found)  
I'm glad you liked Sango. About the spell range, I thought that her voice mustn't necessarily be the trigger. I admit it's interpreting on my part, but I imagined a cassette recorder with "Sit" falling in the hands of Naraku, or IY stuffing his ears so he doesn't hear Kagome. I guess there are arguments for and against both views.

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Tamerlane - Sango's past will have an effect on her relation with Miroku. I tried to think of something that was a bit realistic and also fitted her, explaining why she keeps her distance to Miroku. More about that later...  
Well, I think I can say Inuyasha and Shippou reconcile in this chapter. Mir/San too :) And yes, Merith is a real treasure. I don't know what course the story would have taken without her suggestions.

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Renangel - LOL. No, this time, no flee is controlling Inuyasha. That comparison was really funny! About the spell range, I thought that her voice mustn't necessarily be the trigger. I admit it's interpreting on my part, but I imagined a cassette recorder with "Sit" falling in the hands of Naraku, or IY stuffing his ears so he doesn't hear Kagome. I guess there are arguments for and against both views.

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Tamababymiko-chan - Yes, I think Inuyasha will remember the fact he can get outside her range :) Maybe the length of the chapter can make up a bit for the long wait. I'm not sure about the arrangement of my chapters, but right now I think it will take some time till he shows up. (He'd hunt you down for calling him cute :) ) Kouga too.  
And Mir/San will have some problems, but I think I'm nice to them in this chapter. They should thank me... Glad Sango was cool, that's the way I wanted it :)  
Hmm, my favorite scenes to write... The guys are much easier to write for me. The couples are okay too. I'm having some problems writing the girls think of their guys, I can't enthuse about how good a guy looks (makes the hairs in my neck stand :) ).

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Lady Bird - Well, here's the next update. Cookies are appreciated :)

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Celadonserpent - I'm glad you found Inuyasha's outburst in character. I worked around a bit and it looks like it paid off :) My betas are helping me with my grammar, so it should be better in future chapters.  
Your thoughts about Iraq are quite similar to mine. I was trying to give both an overview of my own thoughts and "the public opinion". In the end, I'm glad Saddam is out and hope they will be able to manage down there.  
Um, I don't want to reveal my plot, but till now I'm not thinking of pitting Sango against Inuyasha. Honestly, I don't know what she would do against the Kaze no Kizu.

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yumi-no-baka - Don't think this qualifies as "soon update"... Well, here it is, finally.

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Lady Wolf Moon - You're back! I'm not sure about the effects watching Digimon had on you... Good luck with this Hiei :)  
Well, I guess we're even, you didn't review, I didn't update. Well, here I am, on the road again. 

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Usagipegusus - Here's the next chapter. I'm really trying to be nice to Sango this time!

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Bex - Well, I think thumping down on the ground is something IY would do if he wanted to deceive Kagome. I guess this chapter is funnier too, so I hope you like it:)

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Daniel-Gudman - Thanks a lot again for your help. I'm at chapter 8 right now, I haven't had much time to work on my fic lately. I'll write you when I do. I just realized I haven't answered your mail in the longest time. Sorry, I forgot... It was very interesting, and I guess we both know the others viewpoint now.  
About the last chapter, thanks for pointing out that Sessh's natural form is the dog form. Another reader also pointed that out, this leads to the interesting question if he was born as a dog... When I get to chapter 11, I guess I'll work in the demon rat :)

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Mink - I guess you're the only one of my old readers who didn't have to wait an eternity for the new chapter. I guess three weeks is still long enough...

  
**Disclaimer : **Not mine. Never was. Blah.

  
**Special thanks to :**  
_Merith_ for her fantastic help with this chapter. She gave me a (very) helping hand at the end of part one, also offered some general advise, and, also very important, did the editing. This chapter would likely read very differently without her.

* * *

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Chapter 12 

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Trying to find the heart you hide  
Trying to find the heart you hide in vain 

**Heaven Tonight**

Kagome sat at the fire, eating the last bites of her evening meal. They had again wandered without making many transit stops, just a short pause during noon. 

The atmosphere had been uneasy after Inuyasha's outburst. Although she had sat him a few times, he had kept insulting her. When they had stopped, Inuyasha had isolated himself by being closed off, and hadn't eaten with them, spending his time up in a tree instead. She had tried to talk him out of his seclusion, but Miroku had convinced her to leave him alone, explaining that the hanyou had obviously woken up with the wrong foot on the wrong branch. Sitting sagely on the monk's shoulder, Shippou had nodded approvingly. 

She hadn't understood where they got such wisdom, but had decided to believe them. When they continued, Inuyasha had again taken the lead. All in all, it had been an usual day with the only exception being that they had stopped well before sundown. Of course, no one had complained, everyone being glad for the extra rest. 

Kagome wondered if their period of grace was related with Inuyasha's behavior. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to it, she had tried to ask both Shippou and Miroku, and both had more or less evaded her questions again. They were being much to secretive for her liking.

She sighed, patting Kirara who was sitting on her shoulder. At least, like she had been planning, she didn't question Inuyasha about his past anymore, though no thanks to herself. The hanyou hadn't spoken much with her after she tried to explain the importance of good address. Maybe she had carried things too far, but after Inuyasha's behavior it was she who was supposed to be insulted, not him. To tell the truth, his indifference had stung more than his insults. 

Kagome saw Inuyasha talking with Shippou, their earlier aloofness seemingly forgotten. _'At least these two seem to have reconciled. I wonder how that happened, today of all days.'_ Inuyasha had been easy to provoke. Nonetheless, the two seemed to be getting along, and she couldn't help but feel a bit excluded. At least Kirara was a small comfort, although she wasn't the most talkative companion. 

Kagome looked at the other group. Miroku sat next to Sango, leaving some space between them. The monk kept staring into the fire, throwing side-glances at Inuyasha and the sun, which was finally vanishing behind the horizon. Was it her imagination, or was the monk nervous? He had his staff placed on his knees, sitting as always, so maybe it was just herself who was nervous. 

Kagome got up, and walked over to the youkai huntress. The girls had talked in the morning, better said, she had complained about Inuyasha's obstinacy, at least until the hanyou insulted her. It had been really strange, even Sango hadn't been able to make anything out of it. The guys had reappeared after half an hour in rather good spirits, but not losing any comment. 

"Hi, Sango," Kagome greeted her. The girl had been awfully quiet too. "Enjoying the rest?" 

"Yes, Kagome," Sango answered. "It doesn't happen too often to get some peace without Inuyasha nagging around." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha cut in, diverting his attention from the fox child. "If I didn't drive us on, we would be lying around the whole fucking day." 

"What a disaster," Sango sneered. 

"Glad you see it that way," the hanyou retaliated, turning back to Shippou. 

"Everything okay?" Kagome asked the youkai huntress. "You've been kinda silent." 

"Hai. I've just been thinking," Sango explained. 

"What about?" Kagome asked. 

Miroku cheered inwardly. ´_Yeah, what about? Go, Kagome!_´ 

"Nothing important," Sango answered. "This and that, it's really not worth mentioning." 

Sango fell quiet again. Kagome eyed the girl, contemplating if she should dig further. Maybe she just wanted to relax? When she thought of it, everyone had been quiet today. Didn't they want to talk with her? 

´_She looks kinda depressed,_´ Miroku thought, watching Sango. ´_She's either angry at me or thinking of Kohaku._´ He cursed inwardly. He didn't want her thinking of her brother when he wanted to spend a nice evening with her. Would just be his damn luck if Sango had a bad day. Getting another evening from Inuyasha would be difficult, so being optimistic he decided that she was angry at him. That did also mean she was thinking about him, right? 

´_Inuyasha could be leaving finally,_´ he thought, eyeing the setting sun. The light was already fading away... He looked around, making some final checks. The fire was burning fine, and the wood he had gathered should be enough to keep it alive; he didn't want the fire to go out too soon. 

The blanket he had borrowed from Kagome was already spread out in front of him. It should be big enough for him and Sango. _´Either way,´_ he added in his thoughts with an optimistic grin. The sake was there too, as were ... Where were the cups? 

Having a small panic attack, he managed not to show it and calmly search for the cups instead. Hadn't he placed them next to the jug? Trying not to attract attention, he searched his clothes. After a few anxious seconds he finally found them in another pocket, remembering he had put them there in the afternoon. She was driving him crazy, did she know that? 

He watched Inuyasha talking with Shippou, wishing them to leave. When the hanyou turned around, Miroku gave him an impatient look. ´_Get going already!_´ The hanyou grinned at him instead. Now he was being mocked! He fingered with his prayer beads, signaling a warning to the hanyou. 

Inuyasha just picked up Shippou, feigning to caress him. The hanyou's grin widened while he ruffled the child's hair. Shippou didn't seem to understand that he was being used as a living shield, judging from the confused look. ´_Damn you!_´ Miroku cursed silently. Not that he was really thinking of sucking up the bastard, but Inuyasha was supposed to be at least a bit scared into complying. It looked like he was enjoying every second of it. 

He scowled back at the hanyou, not knowing what else to do without attracting attention. It figured that Inuyasha wouldn't let out the perfect chance to tease him. ´_Damn him._´ 

The hanyou finally stood up, much to Miroku's relief, and walked over to Kagome. The girl looked disconnected. "Kagome, you want to come with us?" Inuyasha's voice snapped her out of her reverie. She turned to the side, seeing Inuyasha standing there with Shippou. 

"Huh?" she asked dumbfounded. 

Not able to suppress a smile, the hanyou continued, "Training. You were interested yesterday." 

"Training?" she asked, her brain finally kicking in. "Sure, why not?" 

Miroku watched her stand up, Kirara still on her shoulder, and leave with the two demons. ´_Perfect!_´ Everything was working fine. Now it all depended on him. 

"Looks like it is the two of us now," he said to Sango. 

"That's right," she told him with a suspecting undertone. "What a coincidence." 

"Yes," Miroku answered smiling, she seemed to be having a sarcastic day. He didn't wonder that she smelled the rat, to tell the truth he would have been disappointed if she hadn't. He stood up and seated himself cross-legged on one end of the blanket. "You know, I want to apologize." 

"What for?" Sango asked surprised, she didn't remember anything the monk would want to apologize for. 

Miroku took a deep breath, bracing himself. "For flirting with other women right under your nose. I should have noticed sooner." 

"It's okay, Houshi-sama," Sango said. "It's not like I'm ..." 

"And also for touching you when you obviously didn't like it," Miroku interrupted her, rubbing the back of his head. He chose not to comment on the Houshi-sama, for now. "You have to excuse, but you are very tempting," he told her with a rueful smile. 

Sango stared at the monk. Had he just - sort of - apologized for groping her? 

Miroku watched the girl, she seemed too taken aback to answer, so he took out the jug, placing it in the middle of the blanket, and continued, "As compensation, I would be honored if you shared some sake with me." He took out the two cups, offering one to her with an expecting look. 

Sango eyed him critically. She got up and took a seat in front of Miroku, facing him. Accepting the cup, she answered, "If you want to fill me up...." 

Miroku waved with his hand. "No, of course not. It's a compensation, remember?" 

He filled her cup with the cloudy liquid, then handed her the jug to fill his own. They both held their respective cups towards each other, then downed their content. Miroku refilled her cup and placed it before her, then Sango followed his example. 

"See, no filling up," Miroku reassured. 

Sango watched the monk. She wouldn't have thought him able arranging something like this. What unsettled her a bit was that it seemed that at least Inuyasha was inaugurated by Miroku, and she didn't think it bode well when these two were plotting something, especially if their plan contained sake. 

"Hmmm. I'll believe you," Sango finally answered. "For now," she added when she saw the grin on Miroku's face. 

Miroku led his own cup to his lips, taking a sip. "Drink as much or as little as you want," he told her. Grinning, he continued, "Though I won't stop you, if you are overdoing it." 

"Better take care of yourself," Sango challenged, also taking a sip. "I know my limits." 

"Boundaries are there to be crossed," Miroku said, looking her in the eye. "Sometimes." 

"Really?" Sango asked. 

"Yes," he answered, inching forward a bit. 

"Was that what Inuyasha was doing today?" Sango asked, pretending not to notice the monk's approach. 

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, being stopped by the girl's question. "Oh, you mean in the morning... Osuwari and that." 

"Yes. What was going on?" Sango asked, seriously interested. 

"Hmmm," Miroku thought out loud. "You would have to promise not to tell anybody," he continued with a teasing undertone. 

"Come on, don't be so secretive," Sango demanded. "You just want to make fun of me." 

"Promise," Miroku said again. "If Inuyasha knew I'm telling you, he'd probably rip my guts out." The hanyou had demanded that he and Shippou didn't tell anybody about his outburst. Miroku had actually found it funny that Inuyasha was trying to be secretive again, but at least his excuse was valid. If Kagome found out, he'd probably be in for a lot of trouble. Miroku assumed that Inuyasha also wanted to keep the spell range secret. 

"Okay, I promise not to tell anybody," Sango finally agreed. 

"Hmmm," Miroku hummed again, downing the rest of the liquid in his cup. While Sango refilled it, he wondered if he should tell her. If she told Kagome, the hanyou would be in serious trouble... "If Kagome asks, you know that from Shippou." 

Sango laughed out, playfully hitting him against the arm. "What are you wringing a promise out of me when you don't even expect it to be kept?" 

Miroku grinned at her. "Just a joke." After he thought about it, Inuyasha had helped him, even if he had taken his time, so it wouldn't be justified to send the hanyou to his doom. "If Kagome hears that, Inuyasha will be in for a lot of trouble. And then I will be in for a lot of trouble... You understand what I'm trying to say?" 

"Yes, he'd disembowel you and feed you to the crows, we already talked about that. Now spill it already," Sango pressed. 

"It's good to know you are concerned." Miroku held his stomach, demonstrating that he really liked his guts where they were. He took a sip for their health, finding it funny how Sango was growing impatient meanwhile. "Okay," he began, "Inuyasha was behaving really strange today." 

"Reeeally?" Sango asked mockingly. 

"Now comes the interesting part," Miroku continued, "he was outside of Kagome's range, and that humored him that much he was laughing like a maniac." 

"He was what?" Sango asked. 

Not knowing if she was referring to Inuyasha's behavior or Kagome's spell, he continued to explain, "He already had the laughing fit before he started to shout back at Kagome." 

"Inuyasha having a laughing fit?" Sango asked disbelievingly. Not once in their time together had she seen the hanyou exhilarated, except maybe after winning a fight, but that was more pride than joy. 

"You should have seen him. He wasn't able to get a hold of himself, " Miroku recalled. 

"What was he laughing about?" Sango asked, wanting to know what was able to humor the stern hanyou. 

"Nothing really important, only a small joke of Shippou," Miroku answered. "I don't know, but somehow I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with him. Especially when he started making fun of Kagome in his condition."

He continued telling her that Inuyasha had insulted Kagome because he had been outside of Kagome's spell range. "In the end he was even holding his stomach. I asked him what was wrong with him, but he didn't say anything that would have made sense." 

"Really strange..." Sango trailed off, taking a sip of her cup, noticing that she emptied it again. "So the spell has a range." She had wondered once if the spell was triggered by Kagome's voice or her miko power. The girl hadn't been able to answer her question, telling her that Kaede had put the spell on Inuyasha. ´_Looks like I have my answer._´ 

"So he was exploiting being outside of her range without her knowledge. I wouldn't have thought that he would have that much fun with such a situation... Kagome was really upset for a while," Sango told the monk. "He was really overdoing it today." 

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. Agreeing with a woman was always a good idea. The trick was holding back enough to not let her notice, what was quite tricky with the youkai huntress. "I would have betted everything that he wouldn't help packing today. Some manners wouldn't hurt him for sure." 

"Inuyasha and manners. That's a contradiction in itself." Sango laughed. "I think it wouldn't even fit him." 

"I guess it would be a unique experience," Miroku added. "Although the outcome might be something like Sesshoumaru." Imitating the voice of the elder brother, he quoted, "_You may die now._ instead of," switching to Inuyasha's voice, "_I'll kill you now, fucking bastard!_" 

"I guess being polite and having manners isn't the same, especially for him..." Sango laughed. "Sometimes, I wonder how Kagome puts up with his temper." 

Miroku held his cup up. "To the forgiving female heart," he told her with a smile. 

´_If I think of all the times he groped me,_´ she thought, ´_I don't know why I'm putting up with him._´ She looked at him, seeing him smiling innocently at her. "We are sure too lenient towards you lot," she told Miroku, also taking her cup. 

They both downed the content of their cups. After Sango had refilled his cup, Miroku took up the sake jug and refilled hers. Earning a accusing look, he defended himself, "Don't drink so fast..." 

"You're having your fourth already," Sango shot back. 

"Are you counting mine too?" Miroku asked, inching closer again. 

Sango grinned back. "Know your foe," she teased, drinking from the newly filled cup. 

"I'm really affronted," Miroku said, putting a hand on her thigh. "After all we've been through together?" 

Sango rolled with her eyes. "I thought you wanted to apologize for groping, Houshi-sama?" 

Miroku removed his hand, although not immediately. He sighed, "Just Miroku." 

"Where are your manners then, _Miroku_?" she asked him teasingly. 

"Hey, that is mean!" Miroku complained. "I'm not Inuyasha." 

"So you think you have better manners?" 

"I wasn't the one lying face first on the ground today," Miroku reminded, taking another sip. "And if I remember right, you haven't hit me with your boomerang lately," he added, grinning over the whole face. 

"Lapse of judgment on my part," Sango muttered. But he was right, she couldn't complain about this last week. She looked at Miroku, seeing him sitting there with his confident smile. It always made her knees feel weak. She'd be damned if she'd let him know. 

"Really?" Miroku asked, grinning even wider. "Come on, a small compliment would really make my day." 

"I guess you've really been behaving lately," Sango admitted. 

"Thank you, Sango," Miroku said, taking her hands between his. "Out of your mouth this is the sweetest compliments of all." 

Sango didn't know if she could take that at face value. Deciding to let her hands between his for once, she relaxed a bit. She hoped he wasn't just sweet-talking, but this afternoon it seemed to her as if could really meant it. ´_Maybe it is the sake?_´ 

"Don't you think you are plastering on?" Sango asked, giving the monk an inquiring look. 

"Not a bit," Miroku answered. "I'd be lying if I said that I've ever met someone like you." 

Sango looked down. "Thank you." Looking up again, she saw Miroku staring at her almost anxiously. "The same goes for you. I've never met someone like you before," she admitted reluctantly, seeing a happy smile growing on his face. 

"So I'm also important to you?" Miroku asked, averting his eyes for the first time. Why was his damned heart beating so fast? Releasing her hands, he picked up a log and threw it into the fire. ´_She must hear it beating._´ Picking up another log, he noticed that his hands had begun to sweat. Why was he acting so out of control? This had never happened with one of the other girls. 

A short silence ensued after Miroku's question. Sango shifted around uncomfortable. What was she supposed to answer? It almost looked like he was nervous, although he could be playing it. ´_What should I answer?_´ She saw him looking up again, and this time it was _really_ anxious. "Yes, you are important to me. You, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippou, you've become a second family to me." 

Miroku worked hard to keep his composure. ´_It could be worse,_´ he told himself. ´_She could have declined. She's just shy._´ It didn't mean that something more couldn't develop. ´_Goddamn sake,_´ he thought, ´_I'm not even thinking straight._´ He gave the jug an accusing look. What to do now? Leave it be? ´_No guts, no glory,_´ he thought, straightening himself. 

"Could you, theoretically, be interested in more than a makeshift family?" he asked with a serious voice. She really had to be trying to drive him crazy. "More than only companionship?" 

Sango thought she owed the priest an answer. "I ... don't know," she finally told him. "I don't know if I can move on as long as Naraku is out there." 

Miroku sighed, giving his right hand an angered stare. ´_Naraku again._´ Had the damned bastard to interfere in every detail of his life? His makeshift father, Mushin, had once joked that he had been able to say Naraku right after he got the names of his parents. Not enough that he had lost everything resembling a childhood, his father, that he had to run around with a seal over his hand, no, that seemed to be not enough. 

"Naraku," he whispered. Sango looked at him, not used to the hatred in his voice. "I've had enough," he continued, "of having my life dictated by him." He picked up another log, throwing it into the fire with such force that it sent a myriad of sparks flying.

He took in a calming breath. "Sorry," he apologized, not wanting to scare her away. 

"No, it's okay," Sango hastened to say. She looked at Miroku, suddenly seeing him in a different light. She had thought that he was living uncommitted, judging from his careless manner and the wandering life he was leading. "I didn't know that you think your life dictated." 

Miroku chuckled. "Well, I'm trying my best to retain my independence. But I can't deny that my whole live is one big unsuccessful hunt after a phantom." He gave his hand another stare. How much time did he have left? A year? More, less? "Ever since my father died, I've always been two steps behind Naraku. It's frustrating to see him escaping all the time." 

Sango looked uncomfortable, she pitied the monk. She was hunting after Naraku too, but at least not all her life with a death curse hanging over her head. "We will get him," she tried to encourage him.

"Of course," Miroku answered with a smile. 

Sango had the impression of a mask falling back in place. How much did it really trouble him? "When I think of it, you also lost your family to Naraku." She saw him scratching his head. "Not only this, but also your childhood." 

"It's not important," Miroku assured. "When we finish off Naraku, my time will have been worth it. I am used to it." 

Sango chuckled. She saw Miroku's inquiring look and explained herself, "You know, that reminds me of myself. I'm also used to living extraordinary." She felt comfortable talking with him about that part of her past, they had had similar experiences and she thought that he could understand her. Although Miroku hadn't had much of a choice, they had both chosen a life out of the ordinary. "I was growing up very unusually." 

"Really?" Miroku asked surprised. He had always thought that Sango had had a nice childhood, with a family, a younger brother, a nice village to live in. Thinking of how devastated she had been after she had lost her home had only fortified this idea. When his own father had died, he hadn't been sad for long. He hadn't gotten to know his father well, who had often been away, hunting after Naraku. "I always thought that you had a normal childhood?" 

Sango laughed, shaking her head. "Normal for a boy, maybe. It tells enough that I have been the only girl being trained in my generation," she explained. "Usually only boys were trained as youkai hunters, there have only been a few exceptions during the centuries." 

Miroku revised what she told him. When he thought back to when they had met Sango, he remembered being surprised that a woman would be a youkai hunter, but with time and the repeated demonstration of her superb abilities he had gotten used to it and not questioned her competence. It was funny, how fast he had considered Sango being a youkai hunter normal. "So the other trainees had been only boys? Why were you allowed to take part?" 

"I won a bet with my father," Sango told him. She wondered why she didn't feel sad at the moment, after all the topic was very close to the tragic happenings of her village. Instead she was feeling relaxed and also a bit proud, now that she remembered the bet again.

Miroku looked at her when the girl didn't answer for a while, but found that she didn't look uncomfortable, more like she was only spacing out. "Really?" he asked to bring her back to reality. He also hadn't given up his resolve to make progress with Sango that evening. As weird the comparison might sound, he wouldn't lose Sango to Naraku. 

"Yes," she continued, "I wanted to join under all conditions, so I talked my father into letting me attend for a week. It soon became obvious that I was really talented, but still the teachers were against my accedence. So I made a bet with my father, if I defeated the strongest boy of my own age, he would force the teachers into accepting me." 

Miroku nodded, understanding that she had had to fight for her acceptance. "I guess this bet also served to disprove the arguments of the teachers." 

"Exactly," Sango agreed. She liked that she didn't have to explain every detail. "So, after a week I had to fight the most talented boy. We were struggling for quite a while, but in the end I surprised him by using a technique, we had only recently learned, left-sided."

Miroku nodded approvingly. "Not bad after only a week." Most people favored one hand, usually the right, so pulling that stunt after only a week was a very good performance. 

"Actually, I've never had problems doing something left-handed," Sango explained. "For example, I can write with my left hand as well as with my right." As usually, she was a bit nervous explaining her gift, but also proud. Wondering why she had never told her friends, she waited how the monk would react.

"Wow, you're ambidextrous," Miroku marveled. On a side-thought, he wondered if that would bring any improvement to having sex with her. Not that he hadn't thought her hands skillful, but now he was definitely interested. "I guess that's a pretty rare ability?" 

"Yes, definitely," Sango agreed. She was glad that Miroku hadn't stared at her, although she hadn't calculated with it. Sometimes people had looked at her as if she was a rare animal, and although she hadn't exactly felt insulted by the curious stares, she had never liked it. A long time ago, she had had an argument with her mother, who had bragged to her friends about how skilled she was. She didn't like being talked about as if she wasn't present. "This skill has helped me often, although I think I would have become a good youkai hunter even without it. Sometimes people tried to talk me down, saying that all I know was only this trick." 

"I wouldn't call it a trick, but an increase to your ability. You'll have to give me a demonstration," Miroku told her. He took up his cup, downing the content. ´_Just family?_´ Even if they were, he was definitely the closest to her, she talked with him about her personal experiences and not with the others. 

He definitely needed another cup. Holding it to Sango, he waited until she refilled it. He noticed she poured him the sake in a single flush without spilling a drop, without even spending a second thought on it. ´_Skillful indeed._´ Pretending to change his sitting position, he inched closer. 

"Where is the sake from?" Sango asked, pretending not to notice Miroku's approach. 

"I acquired it during our journey," Miroku answered her. 

"Did you steal it from Madoka?" she asked the monk with a teasing undertone. 

Miroku made a face. "No, actually I already owned it back then." He had to smile at the memory of Madoka's home. "I nearly broke it during the fight with the tengu."

"You were fighting with the sake jug hidden?" Sango laughed. That's why he had seemed so cautious, it had caught her eye back then.

"Yes, I was carrying it with me for quite some time," Miroku told her truthfully.

"Did you already have the sake in the mining village?"

"Yes," Miroku told her at least half of the truth. "I also had it with me in the mining village." No need telling her he had stolen the jug there. 

Sango laughed. "You were running around with the sake jug the whole time? Even sleeping with it?" 

Miroku nodded at her question. "Yes. What's so funny about it?" 

"Like an alcoholic." Sango laughed even harder when she saw Miroku making a face. "Meet Miroku, the drunkard monk. Always having his sake jug with him, no evil can stand against these two." 

"That's the thanks you get for being nice..." 

"Oh, I am thankful. Haha," she continued to laugh, "I haven't heard something that funny for a long time." 

"Hmph," Miroku played offended. 

"Come on, don't be upset," Sango laughed, patting him on the leg. "That was really sweet of you." 

"Thanks..." Miroku trailed off. Somehow, her laughter took the effect of her words away. ´_I'm no drunkard!_´ He thought of it as quite an accomplishment, with a stepfather like his.

"Why didn't you share the bottle sooner?" Sango asked, still teasing. 

Miroku had to think of a way out. He didn't want to tell her that it was Inuyasha who had been holding him back. ´_How would that look like?_´ Then he came up with the perfect excuse. Making his most anxious face, he stuttered, "I, um, I was too ... nervous." 

Sango looked at Miroku disbelievingly. "Too ... _nervous_?" She couldn't believe that the lecherous monk would be too shy to share a sake jug with her... to share a romantic evening with her. ´_Romantic?_´ 

Miroku watched her face soften, her humored expression being replaced by a surprised, affected one. Her startled look told him that the moment had come. ´_Now._´ He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips, wrapping an arm around her, to both support her and keep her near him. He felt her body stiffen; she didn't push him away, but she didn't respond either. 

When she didn't react for a while, he broke the kiss and searched her face for rejection. His hold tightened, seeing the mix of feelings playing upon her face. Rejection wasn't one of those. She averted her eyes, not meeting his. He thought to see a blush spreading on her cheeks, if the lights of the fire weren't playing tricks with his eyes. "Sango?" 

When he got no answer, he moved his hand up her back to the nape of her neck, and turned her head around to face him. He kissed her again, more passionately. Her lack of resistance reassured him, she was at least not pushing him away. He sighed softly against her mouth, urging her to respond. With a slight whimper her resistance finally melted, and she gave in. Their tongues touched, and he couldn't hold back a deep-throated sigh.

She hesitantly put a hand on the sleeve and placed her other against his chest. She fisted her hand in the fabric of his robe, pulling slightly. The small gesture made him crazy. _´I want her. Now.´_ Without breaking the kiss, Miroku drew her to her knees, uncrossing her feet, and leaned forward, laying Sango down while supporting her back. She groaned, tightening her hold on his arm. Reflexively she moved her other hand to the back of his neck, to support herself. 

Miroku moved the arm from behind her back after he laid her down, placing it on Sango's chest. He started massaging her breast, the fabric of her kimono being a thin layer between his hand and her; he would have to remove it. Suddenly, he felt her hand on his wrist, stopping him. He broke the kiss, again, looking at her. She turned her head, so he could see her face only from the side. "Don't, Miroku," he heard her say, almost sad. No, not sad, nervous.

Miroku's face fell. For a moment, he had believed that she had accepted him. "I'm sorry," he muttered. He removed his hand, placing it on the ground for support. He pushed himself up, not knowing what to do, or even think.

He was stopped by a hand on his neck; Sango was pulling against him. "We could-" she trailed off, going silent, still not facing him. After some long moments, she finally turned her head towards him. Looking him in the eye with earnest, she began anew, "We could continue ... at a slower pace."

Miroku didn't know if he had ever felt that relieved in his life. "How could I object your wish, beautiful lady?" he asked, the grin back on his face. He let himself being dragged down. This time, he found no resistance and didn't need to wait for Sango to respond.

* * * * *

Inuyasha looked at Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She had sat down against a tree while he trained with Shippou. Kirara had left them earlier, maybe to hunt, he didn't know. They were no longer in the deep forest, so the trees were standing with quite some distance between them. Tomorrow they would leave the forest behind, progressing into more open areas. He had chosen this place because it had enough trees to serve as a good training ground, but was also open enough to be able to move freely. 

Kagome was watching them, although she didn't seem too interested to him. Shippou was trying double as hard nonetheless. "Oi, brat, watch your balance!" The fox was a quick learner, although the kid still needed practice, of course. He wondered if youkai possibly were natural talents, humans needed an awful lot of training compared to youkai.

"Is it okay that way, Inuyasha?" Shippou snapped him out of his musings. Inuyasha watched the child slash at the tree again, and thought Shippou had finally gotten the feel of it. From now on it would only get better by being put in practice, not by training with inanimate trees. "Yes, you're doing fine." He saw Shippou turn to Kagome, pride on the little one's face. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a bit proud himself.

"Kagome, did you hear?" Shippou called. "I'm doing fine" He swiped through the air, obviously trying to look intimidating. 

"Yes, Shippou!" Kagome answered, wanting to sound encouraging. "You are fantastic."

"And how would you know that?" Inuyasha muttered to himself. Well, a bit encouragement wouldn't hurt, but he didn't want his pupil to become cocky. Kagome couldn't have heard his comment, and Shippou seemed to have over-heard it too. The kid did another swipe, trying again to look tough.

"The light has almost completely vanished, I can hardly see you two anymore," Kagome stated, after she had watched Shippou for some time. She stood up and stretched herself, bending her backbone. She yawned while she tried to loosen her stiffened muscles, covering her mouth with a hand. "I guess I'll head back now," she brought out finally.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Inuyasha interjected. 

She paused, turning in his direction. He watched Kagome, judging from her expression, the parts seemed to be falling in place in her mind. "Why not, exactly?" she asked, sounding like she had already guessed the answer.

"I don't think you want to barge in on Miroku and Sango," Inuyasha explained.

"You lured me away," Kagome half asked, half stated.

Inuyasha looked for Shippou, who was suddenly very interested in slashing trees again. _'Coward.'_ It didn't look like he would get help from his partner in crime. "I asked if you wanted to watch training this time. It was you who was interested, anyway."

Kagome crossed her arms and glared at the hanyou. "So, what is Miroku trying while I _watch_ you train?"

"I have no idea," Inuyasha lied. "Miroku just said that he wanted some time with Sango." He hadn't noticed Kagome ever using drugs of any kind - for which he was glad - so he guessed she wouldn't be happy knowing that Miroku's time with Sango involved a sake jug. He looked in Shippou's direction again, seeing that the child's attention was still fixed on his tree. He decided to make sure that the brat stuck to his story and wouldn't discredit him later. "Oi, Shippou, did Miroku say something to you?" 

Shippou turned around with a remarkably clueless expression and shook his head. "Nope," he answered, and reverted his attention to the tree.

"He didn't tell me something particular either," Inuyasha continued. "I guess he only wants to spend some time with Sango. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, that's not it," Kagome defended herself. She looked from one demon to the other. She had the feeling that they were keeping something from her. "I don't like being mislead. You could have told me."

"In front of Sango?"

"No, but later," Kagome clarified. 

"Well, I just told you. Satisfied?"

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha was playing stupid again, at least she was finally able to notice that. She guessed that he wanted to hide that he was at fault this time. "If you told me sooner, I could have brought some books with me and learned a bit." Learning by flashlight wasn't easy, but better than nothing. She had grown used to it when the decision between the past and her future had become harder. 

"Fine, I'll tell you next time," Inuyasha gave in. "You don't have to make a big deal out of it."

__

'I even learn in the dark because of him, and he acts as if I'm the one being narrow-minded!' Deciding that she would have to stay longer, Kagome sat down against the tree again. "You think it's a good idea to leave Miroku alone with Sango?" she asked, wanting to change the topic. Being a bit tired, she didn't want to debate with Inuyasha that evening; she didn't have the nerve for it, especially after their quarrel in the morning. _'No need to have something like that right now.'_

"You think we shouldn't have?" Shippou asked, suddenly back from his tree. 

"Well, it's not the first time they are alone," Kagome thought out loud. "It's just that we have rarely left them to themselves in the evening, and never for long."

"You know Miroku wouldn't force himself on Sango," Inuyasha reasoned. "And I doubt he could."

Kagome had to agree with him. Although Miroku was a lecher, he was always polite. If you ignored the groping. She imagined what they were doing right now. The monk had thought of something special for sure. A campfire, the vanishing sunset, Miroku's bold manner. She wished that Inuyasha could only be half as romantic as Miroku. "I bet they are kissing right now," she giggled.

"As long he isn't getting her pregnant," Inuyasha snorted.

Kagome thought about that. A campfire, the vanishing sunset, Miroku's bold manner. _'Inuyasha's not wrong! Sango!'_

Hearing the quickening of her heartbeat in the silence that had ensued, Inuyasha thought that he might have been too blunt. Even if Miroku likely wouldn't decline a chance to sire his much wanted heir, he didn't think that the monk could coax Sango into something she didn't agree on. "Hey, calm down! The girl's old enough to know what she's doing," he tried to reassure Kagome, becoming uncomfortable with the subject. In the end it was Sango's decision, who he thought able of making it, even under the influence of some alcohol.

But a look at Kagome's face told him that she likely didn't think so – good that she didn't know about the sake. At least it seemed he had managed to calm her down, judging from her heartbeat. Slower and steady, not on the edge, demanding action. "It's their decision anyway," he continued, folding his arms in front of him. He didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs as long they didn't concern him, just as he didn't like other people butting in on his business.

Even if Sango got pregnant, it wouldn't kill her, especially considering backup from the advanced medicine of Kagome's time. Counting in Sango's loss of family, it wasn't too farfetched to assume she would like to start her own. Anyway, the toddler would be their responsibility and not his problem. He feared that Sango and maybe also Miroku wouldn't be able to assist him further in his hunt for Naraku, but it wasn't like he could or wanted to force them apart; he didn't want to stand in the way of their happiness. _'Well, let's hope the two wait a bit.'_

Kagome shook her head. "It's too important a decision to leave it just to her. Especially with Miroku. Do you think she could bear being left with a child, or losing a son to the curse?"

"I'll kill Naraku," Inuyasha growled, causing Kagome to look at him, startled. She hadn't meant it that way, she was just worried about Sango. He was quiet for a while, before he continued in a normal tone, "Don't _ever_ doubt that." He turned around and went back to Shippou, who had escaped to the tree again.

Kagome only nodded, understanding that this was a delicate subject for Inuyasha. _'Looks like the discussion is over for him...'_ For the first time, she was really contemplating what would happen if Miroku and Sango got together. Would they consider having a child? Measuring with her own standards, they would be early, but it wasn't out of the ordinary in this time. _'This is too weird,'_ she thought. _'Just this morning Sango and me were tattling about Miroku, and now she'll maybe decide to have a child.'_

She watched Inuyasha and Shippou absentmindedly as they were discussing something. _'Sango and I have never talked about having children...'_ Would Sango like to have a child already? If not, would that be a problem for Miroku? _'He always made it clear that he wants to have an heir.'_ Would he agree to wait? Or would Sango not decline anyway?

Or was she exaggerating? Maybe she was just worrying without reason, because Inuyasha had taken her by surprise with his side-comment. It might as well be that they were only talking, or likely Sango slapped him because he was groping her. But what could she do now? She could hardly go check on them. She blushed, trying to banish the thought of a naked pair. If she really barged in, what would she do? Sango would be angry, or at least embarrassed. Miroku too - although, maybe not embarrassed. And it wasn't as if she wanted to keep them apart. The two would make a good pair.

__

'If he had told me from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened,' she thought, glaring at the back of Inuyasha. She wondered how he always managed to complicate things, even when he was _not_ talking...

__

'I could bring them condoms from my time.' The thought suddenly sprung into her mind, and she thought that this was a good solution for the case Miroku and Sango got together. She would have to keep her family from noticing them, she didn't want them to get the wrong impression about her and Inuyasha.

* * *

"Kagome?" she heard her mother ask.   
  
"Hmm?" Kagome hummed, picking up her math books. With these, she finally had everything she wanted to take with her. She turned around to stuff them into her rucksack. Her mother stood there, with a bento box in one hand. Kagome froze at the sight. She had obviously failed to notice her mother wanting to pack the box into her rucksack.

"Kagome, what do you need these for exactly?" her mother asked, holding two condom packs in the other hand.

* * *

Kagome blushed just from the thought of it. She didn't think she would be able to live through the embarrassment. She bristled and shook herself slightly, trying to get the thought out of her head. But the one that followed wasn't better; how would she explain Miroku and Sango? _'See Miroku, now you have to put ... Aargh!'_ She cried out mentally. She also would have to buy them somewhere. She didn't know if she could put them on the counter without a guilty conscience. The excuse she needed them for someone else sounded _really_ lame.

On the other hand, would she ever really needed them for herself? Would she ever get _that_ far with Inuyasha? _'Will he ever just kiss me?'_ She imagined Inuyasha with the gentle face he almost never wore. He could be nice, as seldom as this happened. Humming lightly, she pictured him without his ever-present haori. Holding her in his arms, close to his chest. He was smiling at her gently, only noticeable to her in the dimmed light.

Kagome sighed wistfully. She was about to continue her daydream, when she noticed Inuyasha looking at her. She felt as if he was reading her thoughts, and blushed even deeper. She averted her eyes, playing with her fingers. If earth ever decided to swallow her, this would be a great moment.

  
  
Inuyasha looked at the girl. He had watched her, wondering if there was something wrong with her. Just as she had been calming down and he was about to revert his attention to Shippou, her heartbeat had suddenly flared again. But instead of talking to him, or complaining, or yelling, she had just dropped her gaze. Well, he had enough of being yelled at for today anyway. _'Weird girl...'_ Deciding that he couldn't figure her out, he turned back to the fox child.

"Shippou, you ready for something new?" Inuyasha asked. "I don't think hacking at trees will help you much further."

Shippou's eyes were gleaming with a mix of excitement and wariness. "Something new?" 

Inuyasha nodded. "It's time to train with a moving target."

Shippou looked surprised, not completely understanding what the hanyou meant. "Moving target? What a moving target?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Me, of course," he answered, pointing at himself with his thumb.

Shippou stared at the hanyou, thinking about what he had just heard. He couldn't help but remember his nightmare about Inuyasha attacking him. _'No!'_ he thought, banishing the memory. _'I won't let a stupid nightmare distract me!'_ Until now Inuyasha had been serious about training him, so there was no reason for distrust. "Are you sure we won't get hurt?"

"I'll just play target. And you hurting me?" Inuyasha laughed out. "Don't worry bout that!"

Shippou contemplated if he should return the insult. "Better watch out!" he said, flexing his claws. "I won't hold back."

"He," Inuyasha made a curt laugher. The fox could be hilarious. He really had to refrain from laughing, considering the sight of the little fur-ball trying to look intimidating. Well, some fighting spirit wouldn't hurt the little coward. He ducked a bit, getting into fighting position. "Come on then."

* * *

That's all folks. 

I moved the rating up to R. I'm no lawyer, so I have no idea what defines as PG-13 and what not. I decided to be on the safe side, instead of getting my story deleted.

It looks like I'll make it over the 100.000 words mark with my next chapter. It seems both long and short... On one hand, in the beginning you notice how much work it is just to write a shorter chapter. On the other hand, the story time hasn't even progressed a week, so it seems short. Really weird, I tell ya.

The title-song is by HIM. I sometimes listened to his album while writing this, and I found this song the most fitting for this chapter.

Finally, I am sure that the next update will be finished much sooner. For the ones who can't wait nonetheless, take a look at a story I enjoyed very much : **"Of Gods and Monsters"** by _Niamh_. It's one of the stories I enjoyed the most ever. Don't let yourself be scared away by her original character, Teles is really well thought out! And it has a very good plot! The way she treats Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha even reminds me of "The white Dog" a bit. But the advantage is, Niamh updates every week. ;) Leave her a review if you like it, she deserves it!  
read.php?storyid=1316397

  
**July 7th, 2003** : Finally finished the chapter. 

**July 9th, 2003** : Added a few line using Daniel's and Tamerlane's "suggestions" ;) 


	14. Chapter 13: A Walk

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

  
**Author rantings : **

Looks like I didn't make it over 100k words... Well, with the next chapter ;) I guess if my rantings were shorter, I'd even need two.

It seems my Mir/San beginning was okay. Maybe too scientific at parts... Merith defused the worst ;) My ideas about Sango were also okay, judging from your reviews. I hope she didn't confuse you, she's usually self-assured, but sometimes very shy.

  
**Reviews revisited : **

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Lady Wolf Moon** - **Cool you're back. I don't really know the animes you're talking about... Well, glad you're back to Inuyasha :)

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Sakura-Hikaru - Yes, Kagome is a bit annoyed, Inuyasha is a bit annoying. I'm glad I did it well :) Well, the rest was in the E-Mail. Hope to read from you!

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Mink - Glad you liked Sango. I spent some thought on her characterization, but I'm not completely sure how it will work out. I'll decide when I get there. And, I'm trying to change Inuyasha consistently. I hope I'm getting the right pace.

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Daniel-Gudman - Thanks about your note about left-handedness. I actually wasn't wanting to write it that way, but it obviously came over like that. I changed it a bit, I hope it is clearer now.  
I'm not a pro, but I think kenjutsu is a topic for a lot of styles. I guess every blade must be used differently, depending on length, weight, form of the blade etc. Taking into consideration that a sword like Inuyasha's is pretty unusual (very big, but lately not heavy), he would have to invent his own style. I think he should be able to copy from moves used with katana (light but relatively long) or nodachi (long). Do you know, were heavy swords similar to the European broadswords forged in Japan?

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Cataluna - I'm trying to intervene the Mir/San romance with my plot. Bad thing is, it is slowing me down a bit. On the other hand, it's giving me some good opportunities later in the plot. Maybe I'm also trying to compensate for the lack of IY/Kag...  
And, I'm glad you liked Kagome's daydream/nightmare. I don't think I'll be that mean to Kagome to let her mother find her out :)

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Nuklear Firefly - Uh, I'm glad you liked my Mir/San. I hope I divided my time evenly between them. Shippou will be in some more in this chapter. Hope you like it!

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Tamababymiko-chan - I was trying to mix some serious and some humor with the Mir/San thing. Mostly it was Miroku's wish to keep the mood light ;) I'm glad both Kagome and Sango make sense (especially Sango; I've spent some time on thinking her through)  
Well, about the rating, I wasn't sure if it's PG-13 or not. I'm not living in America, so I have even less feeling for stuff like that. I'm glad that it didn't seem like a sudden change of rating, although there will be some gory details, I don't want to write a splatter or a pornographic novel ;)

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Tamerlane - Another review from one of my most loyal fans ;) Well, the Kagome-condom thing came to my mind when I had her thinking about Sango and Miroku. Actually, I wanted to throw her into cold water a bit, she hasn't spent thought on Sango getting pregnant yet. She's 15, so I think she should know what condoms are. Thanks for the tip about explaining how to use them! If I can use that somewhere, that should embarrass her even more. ;) (I tried my best to not make her self-assured on that topic)  
About the length of the story, it has turned out a lot longer than I could imagine, so I really can't tell. I'm not sure if I'm even half-way through... From past experience (everything turned out longer than I thought), I guess that means I'm not. ;)

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Tinuviel - Uh, I'm not completely sure about the "usual", but I won't spend too much thought on that. It shouldn't hurt the story ;) Hope you got over your sleep deficit (IY didn't ;) )

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Mistress Shinigami - Glad you like how I write my characters! The correctness of my writing is also thanks to my Beta readers, but the style is my own ;) I've always liked reading a long story in one bite, looks like you do, too.

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Tokyobabe2040 - Hope everything went fine with moving. It can be very annoying. I'll try to be quicker with the next updates, I hope they'll continue to make you happy :)

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Jace - Thanks a lot for your review! It's one of my favorites :) _Alandrem_ and _Queen of Swords_ are two of my all time favorite authors, being compared to them really meant a lot to me. _Rosefire_'s not bad either (I guess I can't match her speed). I have yet to check out _Ithilwen_, but you got me interested, I like all of the authors you mentioned.  
Yes, although it recently got a bit lighter, the story will continue to have a darker shade. I'm not sure, can you call it Angst already? Anyway, I'm glad my story seemed able to keep your interest till the (temporary!) end.

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Admiral Biatch - Hmm, summer isn't the best time to write. Reading works better, lying at a lake ;) Well, I hope I'll be able to provide a acceptable amount of updates.

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Majin Gohan - Well, I don't think anyone can complain this isn't a safe R rating. I guess I would have had to raise it sooner or later, anyway. We'll she how the story will work out. I'm glad you read it all :)

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Lylli Riddle - You've an interesting review style, pointing out the parts you liked the most. I hope this story will continue to catch your interest.

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VicFan - Looks like Miroku was quicker than Inuyasha. I'm not decided on the Inu/Kag romance yet. And, I still haven't thought of a way to bring in Kikyou *sigh* If I find something, I'll let you know ;) I'm not sure if Naraku will appear in this fic at all, in any case not as the main villain. 

  
**Disclaimer : **Inuyasha and friends are not mine. I'm glad I can play around with them a bit.

Special thanks to :  
My beta readers, Kat and Niamh. Both made me aware of many faults. I'm especially thankful for Niamh's suggestions on Kagome and Kat's "collar bone".

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Chapter 13 

  
_I'm going for a walk  
Not the after dinner kind  
I'm gonna use my hands  
And I'm gonna use my mind_

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A Walk 

Shippou panted heavily. Inuyasha was standing in front of him, again with that damn confident grin. The fox flexed his claws, ignoring the slight pain in his fingers. He had just learned that attacking armor straight on is not a good idea if you aren't able to cut through it. He narrowed his eyes, straining them to see better in the darkness. The sun had gone down half an hour ago, and the last rays of light had faded away shortly after. "Aaah," he shouted and jumped at the hanyou, aiming for the unguarded neck.

The child's battle cry was cut short when a fist connected with his stomach. The blow was not too hard, but hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Inuyasha grabbed the collar of Shippou's shirt to keep him from falling. "That was a better idea," he told his pupil. "If you can't pierce an enemy's armor, you have to find a weak spot. But, keep in mind that jumping can give away your movement, leaving you open for an attack. Especially if your opponent has better reach."

He turned the fox around so they were facing each other, preparing to set him on the ground. "If I hadn't pulled my strike, you'd be -" He saw Shippou's claws striking at the hand holding him in the air. Inuyasha let go of the fox and retracted his hand, not able to fully avoid the slash. He stepped back, while the fox land on his feet. "Keh," he uttered, gaping at the small scratch on his thumb.

Shippou looked at his claws. He had blindly struck at the hand holding him behind his neck, just following his instincts. Now there was blood under his nail. Inuyasha's blood. It wasn't much, but it was Inuyasha's blood under his claw. He looked up at his teacher, not knowing what to say now. "I'm sorry," he managed. "I didn't want to -"

"Ha," Inuyasha laughed out curtly. He had been careless, mostly because he hadn't seen Shippou as threat. He really needed to go to sleep soon if even the brat was able to surprise him. _'What a fucked up day.'_ He licked the blood away from his thumb, and looked down at Shippou. The fox seemed confused. Inuyasha stretched out the wounded hand, the palm facing his pupil. "See this?" he asked. "This is the first wound your claws ever left behind in a fight. Better remember this."

Shippou looked at the cut. It wasn't more than a centimeter long, neither was it deep, but it had been he who had caused it. And it was bleeding. "Really, I didn't want to ... I didn't."

"You have to think when you strike," Inuyasha explained. "This is no game. You leave wounds ..." He trailed off, remembering when he himself had been given this speech. Three deep gashes appeared in his mind, blood seeping out of them. A crying child. He had gotten into a brawl, and had harmed the child he'd been fighting with. "If you strike without thinking, you will cause things you regret later." He didn't like to be so serious, but this was a lesson the fox needed to learn soon, especially considering that they were traveling with humans.

Shippou nodded, looking ashamed. Inuyasha made a step forward, reaching down to ruffle the child's hair; he didn't want to discourage him. "And you freed yourself from my hold, not bad for your second lesson," Inuyasha told the fox with a smirk. "But if you think you can manage that again, better stop daydreaming." He walked past Shippou, towards Kagome. "Come on now, one hour is enough. Look, our spectator's already sleeping."

Shippou turned around, his eyes following Inuyasha. The hanyou was right, Kagome was really sleeping. He was a bit disappointed, but remembered that she wouldn't have seen much in the dark anyway. And it had an advantage, this way she hadn't seen him hurting Inuyasha. He was embarrassed and hoped Inuyasha wouldn't tell the others, especially Kagome. Inuyasha _had_ said that he shouldn't worry about hurting him. _'It's his fault!'_

But, Inuyasha had been giving him an explanation - that he should watch out when jumping - not prepared for retaliation. They had been training for an hour and, like the hanyou had said, he hadn't been able to hurt Inuyasha even once. Shippou sighed, feeling guilty. He was glad that Inuyasha wasn't angry with him. _'This won't happen again!'_ he promised himself.

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome. She was sleeping, turned to the side. Her knees were slightly angled, and her head was lying directly on the grass. She had pressed her hands to her chest, most likely because of the chill evening air; her breathing was slow and regular. At least she had calmed down again. _'I don't want to wake her,'_ he thought. _'Am I pushing her too hard?'_ Making up his mind, he stepped behind her and knelt down. He moved one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back, pushing his hand between her upper arm and the ground. He stood, picking her up with him.

She stirred in her sleep, half-opening her eyes. "Inuyasha?"

"Sssh," he tried to sooth her. "Everything's alright. Sleep on." She didn't seem really awake, since she closed her eyes again and let her head fall against his chest, near his collar bone. He had to hold her a bit awkwardly, but as long it was comfortable for her, he didn't mind; he would easily be able to carry her back like that. He turned towards Shippou. "Be quiet." With that, he began to walk back to the camp; Shippou trailed after him. They continued on their way in silence.

Inuyasha tried his best to walk smoothly, and it seemed he was having success; she didn't wake up. This was the first time he had carried her like this. He'd carried her on his back more often than he could count, but never like this; at least, not for more than to get her out of harms way. She had almost subconsciously accepted that he carried her. _'Does that mean she trusts me?'_ Likely. Did it mean she liked him? He didn't know, but he thought so. Hoped so? __

'Why can't you be more -' He stopped this train of thought. It had only been a misunderstanding. Still, the memory was lurking in a dark corner of his mind. Shippou had told him that she had only meant that he should be more polite. _'I am polite, dammit! Would I carry her around otherwise?'_ he thought, looking down at the sleeping girl. _'Although, a month ago I would have woken her up.'_ But what counted was now, wasn't it?

And right now, he was carrying her although he usually didn't do stuff like that. He felt uncomfortable when he had to let others near him, that being the reason why he rarely did. When he had embraced Kagome after their second encounter with Sesshoumaru, he had done so out of fear. Whatever his feelings were for her, in that moment he had only been terrified that she could have easily been killed. Even with Kikyou there had always been this flavor of sadness, even when she had been alive. He didn't hug people out of love or happiness.

__

'She better appreciate that I'm carrying her.' Well, there was some excitement involved in the case of Kagome. He couldn't say that her body pressed against his left him unaffected. It was bad - pleasant - enough when he was carrying her on his back. But now, her breast pressed against his chest a bit, her face was only inches away from his. _'Enough of this.'_ If he let himself be distracted, something could stalk them. Glad he had found something to occupy himself with, he breathed in, checking the vicinity for unusual smells.

He caught Kagome's scent, mixing with the fragrance of something she called 'Shampoo'. It made her hair look healthy and smell strange. _'Argh! Now I'm thinking of her stupid hair!'_ If Shippou hadn't been behind him, he would have sighed. His thoughts had wandered off a lot the last two days. _'Maybe I'm not getting enough sleep?'_ He hoped that he would be able to catch up that night.

In a way, it was no surprise. In just a few days, he had met - killed - these slavers, found his old home again, and met Eiji. Not to mention the fact that he had admitted his memory lapse to Kagome. Did he trust her that much? He couldn't say that it had always been top priority to keep it secret, simply because he had had nobody to tell anyway. But he had always kept his weaknesses to himself. After he had met Kikyou, he hadn't wanted to speak about his past. _'Maybe I didn't want to scare her away?'_ No, she had sometimes asked him, but accepted that he didn't want to talk about his past, unlike Kagome, who liked to dig deeper.

Still, it had only been recently that he had told her. Would it have been the same with Kikyou, given enough time? Possibly. Maybe not. _'Who knows?'_ Kagome now knew that he didn't remember most of his life. Should he also tell her what he _did_ remember? He pressed Kagome to himself, hoping that she would stay warmer like that. _'Who are you fooling?'_ In moments like these he truly understood how much he had grown to like her. She meant a lot to him. _'Losing her, like Kikyou -'_ he shook his head, refusing to even think about it.

Miroku had told him today that he would have to choose between Kagome and Kikyou_. 'You and Kikyou can't be together, on this side of the grave.'_ It was that way, wasn't it? Kikyou was dead. Nothing would change that. He didn't know what she was planning exactly, but he thought she would only stay in this world until her business was finished, which seemed to shift more and more from him to Naraku. _'Dragged out, from a death I had no desire ever to leave,'_ he remembered her say after she had killed Urasue. She had sounded as if her new form was absolutely to her, only her craving for vengeance making her able to stand it.

He felt sorry for Kikyou; he couldn't even begin to fathom how it had to disgust her to use the souls of the dead. He wanted to help her, but he also had ties, responsibilities, and friends in this world. He didn't want to abandon Kikyou, but he also didn't want to abandon his friends. Kagome. He didn't want to abandon Kagome. _'But you will have to choose between the two.'_ Damn Miroku. Did the fucking monk always have to be right?

He decided to stop thinking about that particular topic; it didn't lead anywhere. It made no sense brooding about the past; nobody was able to change it. Well, Kagome was. But, even for her, it was only _the_ past, not _her_ past. _'Here I am, thinking about useless shit again.'_ An aggravated sigh escaped him; he was really looking forward to his nap.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice snapped him out of his musings.

"Yes?"

"You're holding me too tightly," she told him.

Inuyasha noticed that he had unconsciously tightened his hold. "Sorry," he muttered and relaxed his grip.

Kagome was silent. "Why are you carrying me?" she asked after a while. She had been awoken by a hard grip on her upper arm, and found herself in Inuyasha's arms. Not remembering how she'd gotten there, she had stayed silent for a while. Being that close to his chest, reminded of her daydream, hadn't helped her in finding her voice at all. Her heart was still beating faster, but when the grip had gotten stronger, she couldn't help but try to get Inuyasha's attention.

"Keh!" Inuyasha turned his face away. "Do you want to walk?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Kagome replied.

"Then, it's okay, isn't it?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes," Kagome agreed. She didn't know why Inuyasha always responded so brusquely when being asked why he did something nice. _'Does he think it's a weakness?'_ Were there other possibilities? Anyway, it looked like her earlier train of thought hadn't been wrong; asking Inuyasha questions he didn't want to answer likely resulted in him closing off. "Thanks for not waking me up, Inuyasha." She didn't know what else to say, with Inuyasha carrying her like this, the situation was completely - unfamiliar.

He answered after a short pause. "In the end, I woke you up..."

That reminded her how he had pressed her against his chest. _'Argh! Will I ever _stop_ blushing today?'_ she thought, glad that Inuyasha wasn't able to see it in the darkness. Or was he? _She _couldn't make out his expression, leaving her to listen closely to the tone of his voice. Talking to him in the dark felt like talking to a phantom; she was used to his expressive body language - his threatening gestures, the folded arms, his curious glances.

She wondered what expression his face wore. Was he embarrassed? Or curious what she would answer? _'You should answer, girl,'_ she reminded herself. _'I could ask him about earlier today.'_ It was a gamble, but maybe she could get an answer out of him. It had bothered her the whole day, not able to find the reason for Inuyasha's unusual roughness. "Are you angry with me?" she wanted to know, not asking directly.

"Angry?" Inuyasha asked puzzled. "Why?"

"Because you swore at me today," she continued. "And you haven't talked to me at all..."

"Keh!" Inuyasha noticed that he couldn't fold his arms while carrying her. "Should I be happy if you sit me because you want to have your head?"

"You told me to _'fuck off with my useless sermons'_," Kagome defended herself.

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle, reminded of his opinion. "Lighten up, will ya?" He had finally found out that his spell had a range; for him, it had definitely been a good deal. "I'm just not overly polite."

"You're not polite at all," Kagome muttered. 

"And you're not willing to compromise," Inuyasha retaliated.

Kagome was about to answer when she suddenly felt something jump on her shoulder. She screamed, not able to make out what it was in the dark. "Lighten up, will ya?" she heard Inuyasha repeat himself, sounding very amused again. "It's just Shippou." 

Shippou wanted to speak, but got no opportunity.

"Well, sorry for not being able to see in the dark," Kagome replied sarcastically.

"Uh, guys?" Shippou tried to get their attention.

Inuyasha ignored him. "Silly girl, as if someone could stalk -," 

"We've almost reached the camp," Shippou almost shouted at them. 

"Don't interrupt me!" Inuyasha demanded. Then he stopped dead in his track. _'Camp?'_ Three pairs of eyes stared forward into darkness ahead of them. Inuyasha strained his ears, but couldn't hear anything abnormal. "Shippou," he said, breaking the ensuing silence, "don't you want to go first?"

"No way!" Shippou cried out.

"Are you afraid?" Inuyasha teased.

"You always tell me that I'm too young to see _that_. Go yourself, or are you too young?" Shippou replied.

"Keh! Of course not! And get off Kagome, you're scaring her!"

"Am not!"

Kagome still looked into the darkness, wondering about Miroku and Sango. Should they leave the two of them alone? On the other hand, Sango might be embarrassed if they left her alone for the whole night. It was if they were assuming in advance that the huntress would ... 

Suddenly something or someone knocked against her head. The boys were bickering, obviously distracting themselves. "Would you stop that?" she asked, somewhat annoyed. _'They're so immature!'_

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "What do you suggest, anyway?"

Shippou, meanwhile on Inuyasha's shoulder, pulling hair, also stopped. He gave Kagome a curious look. "Yeah, what's the plan?"

Kagome gulped. _'Since when do I have to make these decisions?'_ What should they - she - do now? She decided that she didn't feel like being carried around anymore. "Inuyasha, can you set me down?" Who knew what kind of trouble she could get into with the hanyou dragging her around like that? She was set down, and noticed with some disappointment the sudden loss of his warm chest.

"Oi, Kagome, what do you think we should do?" Inuyasha asked again.

"Well, it's either moving on or searching for another place to sleep," she numerated their choices. 

"We could send Shippou spying," Inuyasha suggested. He patted Shippou on the back, knocking him down from his shoulder. "Finally we found a need for your useless magic."  


Shippou landed on his feet and glared at the hanyou. "It's not useless! And I already said that I won't go in there alone!"

"Well," Kagome said, "I'm rather for going on." First, she wanted to speak with Sango, at least in the morning. And second, she couldn't help but feel protective. The girl had become almost an older sister to her, even if they were from completely different worlds - literally.

"Hmph," Inuyasha snorted. So, Kagome wanted to proceed... Thinking practically, and wanting to get his nap soon, he suggested, "We could sneak up on them, and leave them alone if they are ... busy." He wrung the last word out. As always, the cowards left him with facing the decisions. He didn't get an answer from them; the two were seemingly contemplating. "Well?"

"I guess that's a plan," Shippou supplied, deliberately leaving out the word 'good'.

"Okay, let's go," Kagome agreed.

Nobody moved. After waiting for a few seconds, Inuyasha got impatient. "What's wrong now?"

"I'm not going first," Kagome stated.

"Me neither," Shippou joined her.

Inuyasha rolled with his eyes. _'Like I said, two cowards.'_ Well, it took more than that to scare him away, right? He stepped back, looking behind himself. "There, I'm first. Now move your lazy asses!" To his relief, the two were going with him. _'It's for her sake, anyway,'_ he told himself. _'Ungrateful girl...'_

"Inuyasha?" he heard Kagome's voice behind him. 

"Yes?" he asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but couldn't stop himself from dragging the word out.

"I can't see my hand in front of my eyes," she stated, irritated with his tone.

Inuyasha sighed. Were the gods against him today? He stretched out his hand. "I'll lead you." The girl gulped when he took hold of her hand. _'If there's something wrong now, she can search the fucking way herself. I've had enough!'_ After he had made sure that he held her hand firmly, he went on, hoping that he would have his peace from now on.

"Inuyasha is holding Kagome's hand," Shippou laughed behind him.

"Shut up, stupid brat," Inuyasha growled, unable to decide whether he should strangle or beat the annoying fox. Coming to the conclusion that either would require too much effort, he settled for continuing on his path.

They didn't speak any more, each preoccupied with imagining what they might find, and not wanting to cause any unnecessary sound. Kagome let herself get pulled along, trusting that Inuyasha would watch out for her. He was holding her hand, and it made her heart beat faster again. She wondered if Inuyasha was thinking along the same lines. _'I guess not...'_ First, Shippou's comment would have flustered him more, and second, the constant pull on her shoulder joint served as a reminder that Inuyasha was likely looking at the matter from the practical side. Was he in such a hurry to get to Miroku and Sango? 

"I can't hear anything suspicious," Inuyasha muttered. They were really near now, and he thought that he would hear something in case Miroku was laying Sango. He wasn't sure how the girl would react, but he _was_ sure the monk would make all kinds of noises. _'Damn horny monk.'_

He was beginning to see a shimmer in the wood. After a while, Kagome also seemed to notice it. Automatically, they all started to tiptoe. Inuyasha headed for a tree, knowing it would be a better spying position. _'Why am I going first?'_ he asked himself. It wasn't like he was interested in Miroku and Sango. Well, they were likely already sleeping, but he wasn't able to make sure because the crackling of the fire distracted his ears. _'Fire? Fuck, not tonight!'_

Kagome dropped to her knees, crawling the last few meters. Inuyasha stopped in front of her. She crawled next to him, gesturing him to drop down next to her. "What's wrong? Did you hear something?" she whispered. Inuyasha shook his head; she was able to make that out in the half-light the fire provided. "Everything's all right," he told her, but she thought she could make out annoyance in his tone. Was he disappointed that he wouldn't catch them in the act? _'Uah ... act.'_ The double meaning managed to embarrass her once again. In a few moments she would know if she had reason to.

__

'And here we are creeping, up on them...' It was ridiculous. She felt childish. She felt curious. Depending on this moment, the situation between Miroku and Sango could change completely. The fire threw shadows, sending them dancing on the trees. There was a slight slope upwards, preventing her from seeing the fire itself - or their two friends, for that matter. She couldn't help but stop for a moment, admiring the scene. It looked like a safe haven in the dark forest.

After Shippou had caught up with them, they advanced as one in an unspoken agreement. They crawled to a thick root that stood out of the ground, intending to use it as a barrier. Three pairs of eyes peered over it. 

Miroku and Sango were lying together on the blanket the monk had borrowed from Kagome. Both were still - again? - fully clothed. Miroku had his right arm stretched to the side. Sango was resting her head on it, lying next to him on her side, with an arm thrown over his chest. _'Hell, half her body is thrown over his chest!'_ Inuyasha thought.

Kagome sighed, admiring the sight. _'They are so sweet!'_

"Pah." At least the two didn't look like they'd been trying to fulfill Miroku's wish for an heir. Didn't smell like it, either. _'I hope that will relax Kagome...'_ The apparent problem was the still-burning fire; it looked like it would take at least an hour to go out. He glared at Sango and Miroku, one of them - or both - had thrown wood into the fire not long ago. "Those two couldn't be more annoying," he commented, exasperated.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded, keeping her voice down. "Can't you be happy for them?"

__

'These two aren't my problem...' Inuyasha thought. He knew he wouldn't be able to find sleep before the fire had died down; he had stopped trying a long time ago. Usually it was no problem, but tonight he was tired. Damn, he felt his body _longing _for sleep. _'But it looks like I'll have to stay up an hour more,'_ he thought wistfully. Putting out the fire would look suspicious, they always let it burn down. The humans seemed to like the warmth, the light and the feeling of protection the fire provided. Well, he had at least time to search for a proper sleeping place. He eyed the trees, contemplating which on looked the most inviting.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" he heard Kagome. 

Inuyasha remembered that Kagome had asked him something before. _'Looks like I should pay more attention...'_ What had she said again? "I'm okay," he answered, trying to sound like he knew what she had asked. "What should be wrong?"

"You've gone silent all of a sudden," Kagome told him.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted as silently as he could, crossing his arms in front of him. "Should I get all mushy and stuff just because of these two?"

"Inuyasha!" she huffed angrily. Miroku and Sango were finally coming together - judging from how they were lying, very close together. And all Inuyasha had to say about it was that they were annoying. She sighed; getting into an argument now would only wake up the pair. "You know, I thought about what could have happened. Looks like my fear was groundless," she commented.

"Yeah, smells like it," Inuyasha agreed. He noticed Kagome giving him a strange look. "What?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, forcing a smile on her face. 

Inuyasha looked at her inquiringly. He forgot too often that humans didn't share his sense of smell. To him, it was natural to rely on it, to get all kinds of information from it. Just like his eyes, his nose told him about his vicinity, what animals lived there; it told him about the physical state of his comrades and enemies, if they were exhausted or afraid. Like Kagome could see that the two still had their clothes on, his nose also told him that the two hadn't had sex and, now that he paid attention, that Sango couldn't have gotten pregnant even if Miroku tried.

He relied on his smell both consciously and instinctually. It was, for instance, a reason why he tried to avoid staying in Kagome's time as often as possible. It smelled of thousands of people. It smelled of smoke and stench he couldn't define. His instincts were confused by a myriad of unfamiliar smells. Although he adjusted after some time over there, it left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach: not knowing if there was danger near, only able to assume there wasn't. 

But, humans rarely understood that. In a way, it was like two different worlds. They could smell the most obvious things, but they weren't _aware_ of their surroundings through their sense of smell. To him, it was as important as his eyesight. Humans simply couldn't relate to that. Many were easily repelled by what they didn't understand, or found it disgusting. Kagome wasn't that type, but on a few occasions he had noticed that she didn't know how to take the knowledge he gained with his sense of smell. "I can't help but notice these things," he explained.

"That's not it," Kagome reassured, guessing his train of thought by his far-away look. "I only thought that it might be hard noticing things you probably don't want to." At least _she_ wouldn't want to be able to smell if a person had slept with someone the day before. Just imagining having to walk through Tokyo during rush hour gave her the creeps.

Inuyasha shrugged. "It's not as bad as it sounds. It's ... natural to me. I don't give it a second thought," he told her truthfully. He gave her a small grin, trying to make clear that he liked his sense of smell just as it was. "And I really wouldn't want to miss my accurate nose." After all, it had proven useful countless times. 

"I know," Kagome told him with a smile. Then, she moved her hand in front of her mouth and yawned into it. "I'll go to sleep now." She was already curious about tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would question Sango for once. She was a bit insecure, knowing that they would touch some delicate topics, like children, how to get and not get them, or Miroku's curse. She hoped that she would find the right balance between delicacy and honesty. But, if she was able to do that with Inuyasha, Sango shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Inuyasha watched Kagome crawl into her sleeping bag. He guessed that her worries for Sango had been the main reason for her sudden awakening earlier. Now that she was reassured, the exhaustion had returned. 

Once again, she had proven that she liked him like he was. Instead of being repelled or irritated by his nose, she had been concerned about him smelling unpleasant smells. She had a trait that made her worry about his differences - even if the worries were unfounded - and not scorn them. Even if he didn't tell others, didn't even want to recognize himself, he found that her attitude was unique. _'And dangerous for herself, in this time,'_ he added with a twisted smile. Not that he was complaining, but being too trustful could be fatal.

Shippou went to sleep next to Kagome. Content that everyone was settled down, Inuyasha resumed his search for a an appealing tree. Most of them had rather thin branches; he preferred the thicker ones for sleeping on. Finally, he settled for the healthiest looking tree and contemplated between a strong but uncomfortably shaped branch and one that was a bit thinner. He decided for the latter, thinking that the shape would make up for it. He jumped up and settled himself against the tree. After shifting around a bit, he found a comfortable position. He thought that he had made a good choice; he had slept on worse. 

The fire was still burning below. As always, he tried to occupy himself. The problem was that he had to be quiet so that he wouldn't wake anyone. He had given up counting leaves and other useless occupations; they bored him too soon to be of real help. "Fucking fire," he cursed, glaring at the flames. Cursing didn't help either, but it was at least entertaining. With nothing coming to mind, he leaned back, straining his senses for something unusual. The uncomfortable feeling had left during the day, but after he had gone to train with Shippou, it returned. The fire was just the final touch.

He caught the scent of Kirara, but it was very faint. He sniffed again, but it seemed to be just a lingering scent from earlier. _'By the way, where is she?' _He hadn't seen her for some time. He was about to readjust on his branch, when he caught a new whiff of Kirara. Including that they were in a forest and there was no wind, she had to be about fifty or sixty meters away. After half a minute he could also hear her approaching, so he wasn't surprised when the fire cat stepped into the clearing in her smaller form.

"Where have you been?" he muttered lowly. Kirara glanced up at the branch, giving a short meow, and headed for Shippou and Kagome. Inuyasha wondered again where the cat had been. He had thought that she had been hunting, but maybe she had been watching over Sango? He remembered that he had caught her scent just before, it could have been a remnant from the evening; but then, maybe not. _'Maybe Miroku isn't the only voyeur,'_ he laughed to himself. He should tease Miroku tomorrow, it would be interesting how the monk would react when _he_ was the one who was spied on. _'Monitored by a fucking cat ...'_ Would be damn funny.

Kirara reached Kagome and Shippou. Inuyasha noticed that they were already asleep, obviously both had been tired from the day, especially Shippou. Another good aspect of the training: the kid was too tired to annoy him. Kirara nestled herself between the sleeping two, careful not to wake them. After glancing over at Miroku and Sango, she closed her eyes.

Inuyasha stared from one happy little group to the other. _'Looks like I'll be the only one sleeping alone.'_ It wasn't fair that Shippou could sleep next to Kagome, but he could not. _'Annoying little runt.'_ He grumbled, feeling stupid. How would it look if _he_ curled up next to Kagome?

Inuyasha noticed he was sitting up straight and relaxed himself against the tree trunk again. The fatigue was pulling at his eyelids, but the crackling of the fire kept him awake. At least it was dying down; his previous guess had been too pessimistic. It shouldn't burn for much longer. He looked over at Sango and Miroku. The monk owed him for keeping silent about the sake. In retrospect, it might not have been the best idea to keep silent, even let Miroku get a girl drunk in general. If Kagome found out, he would be in for a lot of trouble.

Well, it looked like they hadn't done anything Kagome disapproved of, so everything should be okay. And it had been Kagome who had stated that the monk and the exterminator would make an oh-so-wonderful pair. So, she couldn't complain about him helping Miroku, could she? If she wanted to complain, this time she could rant at Shippou. The brat was involved at least as much as he was. This thought pleased him, and he decided the matter finished.

He yawned suddenly, stretching himself. He looked down; the camp fire had reduced to embers. He double-checked his surroundings, again finding no reason for his discomfort. _'Must be the damn fire,'_ he thought, letting his eyes drift shut. If there really was something out there, he was sure he would catch scent of it. Glad for his accurate nose, he sniffed again, before relaxing himself against the tree.

* * *

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August 4th, 2003 : Chapter 13 Finished.

That's all, folks! It's shorter than usual (heh), but still long enough, I guess.

I'll try to be quick with the next chapters. If the weather continues to be fine like now, you'll have to wait a bit, though. Don't worry, no two months, for sure!

Title epigraph is from **Bad Religion**.


	15. Chapter 14: Paranoid

**

Settle the Score  


**_by Chri _ ****

Author rantings :  
Hi everyone. Maybe some of you already noticed: Settle the Score is now hosted by _Iridescent Dreams_! Wohoo! ;)  
It's for almost a month already, I got accepted August 9th. So if this site isn't working for some reason (although lately, it's been rather stable), you can also look up StS there. :)

Also, this chapter is a conclusion for the coming together of Miroku and Sango. The next chapters will finally focus more on Inuyasha again; actually, even this chapter doesn't give Miroku and Sango too much time. Although I still have some ideas for the pair, they'll have to wait a bit. Generally, I found out that writing romance takes up a lot of time I don't really want to spend, so after trying it out (this is my first and only story ever until now, I use it to try out things a lot ;)), I think I'll reduce the time I'll spend on it. The Mir/San thing is already taking up a good part of the last three chapters...

  
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Reviews revisited :  


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Mink - To tell the truth, I didn't really plan to delay everything for that long. But all the buildup turned out much longer than I had thought when I planned the fic. Well, the building up will be over in two chapters (I think). Finally! :)

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Ardicana - I see you left two reviews. LOL. Well, here the chapter is, finally. Thanks for the E-Mail, by the way ;)

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Renangel - Hmm, they won't meet Sesshoumaru himself, but he will play a minor role in the next chapter. Generally, Sessh won't have much of an appearance until later in this story, though.

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Vesta - My version of soon, I guess. ;)

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Bebe-jinx - Thanks for your encouragement! You're right, I spent quite some time on this story ;)

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Sakura-Hikaru - Thanks for your suggestions on the last chapter!

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Lady Wolf Moon - I see you were already getting desperate, judging from your other reviews ;) Well, here's the next chapter, finally. Also, I'm male, I hope it's showing through to a certain extent :)

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Anandria - You're right, actually I'm using a lot in the chapters as foreshadowing, although some of it is also from Inuyasha's lack of sleep. About a/an, I guess I'm screwing things up here and there, but English's not my natural tongue, so for that I'm faring quite well, I think :)

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Admiral Biatch - Looks like after ending the segment, I'm taking another chapter as transition. I guess I take rather long to get to the point. ;)

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Sugarhighs - I underestimated the length of my buildup when I planned the story. Anyway, after this chapter, I think I'll finally make it to the real plot, or at least the first forerunner thereof. This was the first story I ever wrote, so I couldn't really assess how long everything would become.

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Mistress Shinigami - I thought that the smell thing would play a part later, but right now I'm not sure... Well, I'll see when I get there. I think it's not strange to Inuyasha that he can smell all that, but rather that everyone else cannot and he can't/doesn't want to talk freely about some things. And I agree, the best stories are long stories. ;)

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Mandi - Thanks for the encouragement. I spent some thought on the characterization, and I hope I'll be able to keep the level of quality. I guess I have a small advantage because I can't remember another "Inuyasha's past"-fic, still it's nice that this is one of your favorites ;)

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Omnitoad - Thanks for the reviews. If you find something what you especially like or don't like, please tell me.

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Calophi - Thanks for your review! At least one additional reader from ID ;)

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Sergeant Pepper - Glad you like it. And happy birthday (a month late)!

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Inu-dude - Yes, the Mir/San thing should be final. Inuyasha won't be as quick as Miroku, though.

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Lylli Riddle - LOL, yes you have a unique review style. And, by the way, it's "_He_ said I have an interesting review style". I'm male ;)

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Jace - Thanks for your tip with Ithilwen. It's a great story, I haven't read something like that before. It's almost too easy to hate Houjou in this fic ;) She's also hosted at ID now, by the way.

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Daniel Gudman - Thanks again for your suggestions and your help. I couldn't keep Mir/San from this chapter entirely, but I think it's not too much. The bad thing is, there isn't much happening again. But I think this is the last chapter like this. Damn Miroku and Sango ;)

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Crystal singer - *mysterious look* I'm not spilling the surprise ;)

  
**Disclaimer :  
**Inuyasha and company don't belong to me.

  
Special thanks to :  
_Tamerlane_ for her quick help with betaing and her opinion on the chapter. 

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Chapter 14

  
_All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy  
Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify _

**Paranoid**

Inuyasha stood in the darkness. He couldn't see anything; he couldn't even feel any ground he would have had to stand on. He was just floating there, in the black, timeless void.

Suddenly he could make out something amidst the nothingness. He looked away and in, to make sure he wasn't imagining things, but there definitely was something. 

He started to walk, feeling that it would bring him closer even if his feet weren't touching ground. He could make out that it was a person. He quickened his steps. He finally saw that it was his mother, waiting there for him. 

"Inuyasha," his mother said hastily when he reached her. She looked almost panicked, he could smell her fear. "Inuyasha, run away!" she shouted at him.

"Haha-ue?"

"You have to ..." The rest drowned in a gurgling sound. Inuyasha saw a katana sliding out of her throat, the blade coated with blood. She gripped behind her neck in a desperate try to pull out the blade. A second later she fell forward, her head turning to the left side. She slammed onto the nothingness with a sickening noise. Moving her left arm with her last strength, she started to scribble something. He noticed it was her own blood she was writing with; it gave off an eerie glow, a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness.

Inuyasha ran to her side and kneeled down next to her. _'Should I pull the blade out?'_ Would that harm her? _'Can I help her?'_ A pool of blood was forming below her face, rapidly growing in size, nearing the kanji she was writing. She completed it moments before the pool engulfed the character. It glowed brighter then ever now.

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Run. 

He watched the kanji merge with the rest of her blood.

* * * * *

Inuyasha woke up. At first he still had the smell of her blood in his nose, causing him to retch. After a few moments her realized he was still sitting in the tree and would lose his balance if he continued like that. _'Dammit!'_ The night hadn't provided him with his much wanted - no, needed sleep. He had only slept for short periods of time, before he had woken up, time and time again. He felt exhausted like he hadn't for a long time. To make matters worse, he started to dream this ... _shit_, again. And the dreams were getting worse - more disturbing. 

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'Run.' The kanji was still clearly written in his mind. It reflected how he was feeling. What had been an uncomfortable feeling yesterday, was now a steady commands of his instincts. What made matters worse, he couldn't make out any threat _at all_. He smelled neither youkai nor humans. _'There's not even a single wolf near!' _So, why did he feel like there was someone - something - out there?

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'Damn fucking useless shit!' he cursed inwardly. He wasn't satisfied with his curse yet, but strangely didn't feel like adding more. He shifted on his branch, turning his head to the hills in the east. He watched the horizon; the sun would rise soon, already it colored the clouds in the sky in a mix of red and orange. At least, being awake in the morning wasn't that bad, there weren't many things as boring as being awake during night. Beside the noises of some nocturnal species, which mostly kept away because of the humans, nothing was there to catch his interest. At least now the world was springing into life again, thanks to the light the sun provided.

Although, the light didn't reassure him like it seemed to do with humans. He was able to see adequately during the night, and his other senses weren't affected at all, so sunrise managed to raise his spirits only by a fraction. Well, there had to be a reason for his distress. He looked down to his friends. Miroku and Sango were still lying together on the blanket, although the positions had almost reversed; the girl was lying on the back and the monk on the side. During a wake period he had been sure that Sango had awoken as well, but she had decided to keep lying in the monk's arms. _'Could they be the reason?'_ But, why should they unsettle him?

He let his eyes drift over to Kagome. Kirara was still lying between the girl and Shippou, their sleeping arrangement hadn't changed during the night. _'Maybe I'm cautious for Kagome?'_ But, there wasn't anything in the vicinity he would have to protect her from. The same went for Shippou. There was no reason for his distress, at least non he was aware of. And, they all slept peacefully, apparently not hurt or scared. 

He finally had enough of sitting and waiting in his tree. He jumped down, careful to not wake up anyone. He looked back to his companions, mustering them for a few seconds, then turned around and headed off into the woods. Intending to patrol a perimeter around the camp, he went till he was hundred meters away from the camp. He made a ninety degree turn, beginning his patrol.

He moved without making a sound, checking his surroundings with all his senses. As if he was the hunter and not feeling like the prey. He clenched his fists at the thought and turned his concentration back to the task at hand. When he had completed two thirds of the circle, he still hadn't encountered anything. Sometimes he thought he smelled something, but when he concentrated, he only made out forest animals. 

He heard a noise to his left and jumped to the side, sword in hand. Landing in a crouch, he observed the spot, but no one attacked him. Cautiously, he advanced, ignoring the uneasy feeling commanding him to run. He looked around the suspicious place, searching for a clue, but there was nothing. Were his senses starting to play tricks on him? "What is going on?" he muttered to himself.

He sheathed his sword and turned around, peering over his shoulder one last time before he went to complete his patrol. His heart was slowly resuming a normal rhythm, and he felt the tiredness return to his body. He finally reached his starting point. There wasn't anything in the vicinity that could endanger even Kagome. _'Everything is completely safe.'_

He reached the camp, finding everyone still asleep. _'And it looks like at least they will sleep some more.'_ It was often that way, the earlier they went to sleep, the longer they took to wake up. God knew why; he didn't. He decided that he should try to get some sleep himself, and settled back against the tree trunk. Sighing, he closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. A kanji appeared before his inner eye, and didn't want to vanish.

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Run.

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Sango regained her consciousness slowly and became aware of an arm under her head. She noticed that it was Miroku's. The next thing she noticed was his left arm, thrown over her chest, the hand resting on her breast. She felt the urge to slap it away, like always when he groped her, but this time it was different. He didn't squeeze or do something else, he had only gently rested his hand there. _'Does that count as groping?'_ she wondered sleepily. She turned her head to the side, wanting to get a look at Miroku. He was still asleep, lying on his side, and it was as if even in sleep he was aware where his hand was, judging from his pleased facial expression. _'Pervert,'_ she thought good-naturedly.

The events of the last day replayed in her mind. After that evening, she neither could nor wanted to back down. She was really glad that Miroku hadn't tried to rush her and respected her wish. He had kept his word, and hadn't tried to undress or force her in any way.

She moved her right hand and touched Miroku's chest with her index finger, careful not to wake him. She slowly traced down, feeling his ribs under his robe, then his breastbone. She contemplated moving down further for a moment, but retracted her hand. _'I wonder what they will think?'_ she thought, letting her gaze wander around the clearing. Looking past Miroku, she spotted Kagome and Shippou at her left side. Kagome would be curious, that much was sure. _'What will I tell her?'_ She thought that the best idea would be to stay with the truth.

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'If you try to hide something obvious, your enemy will see it's a weakness,' she remembered her father saying. And Miroku wasn't a weakness_. 'Well, I guess I have a weakness for him,'_ she thought with a smile. And her friends hardly classified as enemies, so she wouldn't hide him. She wondered how much her training had shaped her, she was comparing this to a battle. _'The battle called life...'_

She turned her head to the other side, finding Inuyasha lying up a tree to her right, like she had suspected. The hanyou liked to have the whole group in his field of vision. He seemed asleep. Behind him, the sun was rising over the hills. _'What will he say?'_ Inuyasha was the leader of their group, Kagome the glue keeping them together. She was curious for their reactions.

She returned her attention to Miroku. She moved her hand to his chest, again tracing it down. She took more time than before, but didn't stop at the breastbone. She continued over the solar plexus and slowed down even more when she reached the navel.

"Morning, Sango."

Sango jerked her hand back. "Inuyasha..." she grumbled, while she felt her face redden. _'Can't he sleep like everyone else?'_

Inuyasha smirked, noticing the girl's distress. "Morning exercises?" he asked with played curiosity.

Sango looked to her side, finding her boomerang where she had left it the day before, leaning against a tree. "No, but I might start with you."

"I don't think so." Inuyasha laughed. "It looks like you already have Miroku training with you," he teased, looking at the hand on Sango's breast.

Sango turned a beat redder. Trying to both look dignified and not wake Miroku, she took his hand and placed it more appropriate, on it's owner. To her embarrassment, the monk seemed to like the previous position more and placed it back. She heard Inuyasha laugh - no, bark - out on his branch. Mortified, she slid the hand down to her stomach, hoping that Miroku would be content with a compromise. She scowled at Inuyasha, who was still laughing. Why didn't she have throwing knives with her?

Well, at least it seemed that Inuyasha had no problem with the two of them. On the contrary, he seemed to like the situation as an opportunity to tease her. _'If he gets together with Kagome, I'll have to pay him back.'_ She told herself that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Miroku was just - being Miroku. At least he kept his hand on her stomach. Inuyasha had finally caught himself, ignoring him seemed to work. "You are easily humored lately," she told him, hinting at the last day's events.

Inuyasha looked at her with piercing eyes. _'Has Miroku told her about yesterday?'_ He had better not. If Kagome heard about the spell range, he would lose his only advantage right after he found it. "What would you know?"

"More than you think," she answered, noticing with satisfaction how the hanyou squirmed on his branch. 

"Keh!"

The matter seemed settled, neither of them picked up the conversation. Sango thought that she had paid back the hanyou appropriately. She relaxed against Miroku again, wondering if her head wasn't too heavy to be rested on his arm for that long. She couldn't make out any discomfort on his face, but maybe that wasn't a trustworthy indicator.

"So, you two together now?" Inuyasha suddenly asked from his tree. 

Sango thought about how to answer the question. "Yes, I think you can call it that," she finally said. _'Together...'_ She liked the sound of that word. _'Sango and Miroku, together.'_ Somehow, it didn't feel nearly as odd as she had imagined - not at all. She saw Inuyasha nod on his branch, as if he had already imagined it. _'Great achievement,'_ Sango sneered mentally. It was rather obvious, judging from how their sleeping position must look like.

"I wouldn't have thought that you would fall for Miroku," Inuyasha told her bluntly.

"No?" Sango asked, not knowing how to take the comment.

"Well, you always seemed to notice he's only sweet-talking."

"Don't worry, I haven't fallen to that," Sango told him. "There's more to Miroku than you think."

"His hands, for instance?" Inuyasha teased.

"Oh, shut up..." Sango scowled at the hanyou. She guessed she wouldn't hear the end of it soon. _'Inuyasha better gets used to it.'_ She blushed slightly from the thought. _'Used to Miroku grabbing my breasts?'_ She wondered if Miroku now thought he could grope her anytime. Surely not. If he tried to touch her, he'd better be nice about it. Sango nodded, satisfied with her conclusion. She was his 'beautiful Lady', after all.

"It's just so girly to be taken in by his smooth talking," Inuyasha continued.

"Excuse me?"

Inuyasha grinned, glad he could take his frustration out on someone. "Well, I always thought you had something resembling a brain."

"What?" Sango glared at him. _'Why is he so harsh?'_ Did he disapprove with the relationship? Then he should say so directly. She drew in a breath, making a final attempt to restrain her temper.

"I won't repeat myself." Inuyasha made a pause for effect. "Or did you already forget what I said?"

"That's it," Sango growled. She removed Miroku's hand, watching out not to wake him, and stood up. "If you have something against Miroku and me, come down and tell me face to face!" she shouted, walking over to the hanyou's tree.

Inuyasha looked down to the girl standing in front of his tree. "No, it's okay, you seem to be stupid enough for him."

"You ..." Sango felt how her voice left her, a knot forming in her throat. "Miroku isn't ..." She felt tears stinging her eyes. "You think this is easy for me?" she shouted up to the hanyou.

"Oi." Inuyasha looked down dumbfounded. _'Is she crying?'_ The wind was blowing in his direction, carrying the salty odor of tears with it. Sango held them back, but she couldn't hide their smell nor her rugged voice. "Sango..."

When she didn't respond, he jumped down, landing a few meters beside her. "Hey, I'm sorry."

Sango wiped her eyes before she looked at him. "Sure doesn't look like it," she spat, venom in her voice.

"I was only teasing..." He drifted off when he saw Sango wiping her eyes again with the back of her hands. "Hey, calm down!"

"Keep your damn opinion to yourself!"

"I said I didn't mean it that way!" Inuyasha shouted back. He toned down his voice before he continued. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Sango, is something wrong?" Miroku suddenly asked from behind them. He was standing on the blanket he had slept on a minute earlier; their quarrel had obviously woken him up. And not just him, Kagome too. "Inuyasha?" the girl asked sleepily. The two youkai lying with her also looked at Inuyasha, Shippou curiously, Kirara warily.

Inuyasha watched Sango turn around and walk back to Miroku. Her posture was upright, but not stiff. When she reached the monk, she embraced him and turned themselves around. Inuyasha saw her eyes peering at him over the monk's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. 

Miroku folded his arms around her after a moment, not knowing what was going on. "Sango? What is wrong?"

Kagome watched them perplexed. She had awoken to Sango shouting at Inuyasha. She was sure it was Inuyasha's fault, but didn't know what had taken place exactly. Sango was embracing Miroku and whispered something into the monk's ear. After some seconds, she moved out of the embrace and walked towards her. "Sango, are you okay?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, thank you for asking, Kagome," Sango answered, a determined, but not unhappy expression on her face. Kagome noticed that she didn't spare Inuyasha a single glance. "I see you have Kirara sleeping here." The youkai huntress knelt down and petted the youkai.

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. _'I've apologized, dammit!'_ And he rarely did that. While he grumbled to himself, he suddenly noticed a bottle lying half-ways between Miroku and Kagome. _'The sake!'_ If Kagome noticed, he'd be in for a lot of trouble. He noticed Miroku looking at him accusingly, not without reason, he had to admit. But now was not the time for that. After making sure that the girls weren't paying attention to him, he looked Miroku in the eye and then gave a pointed look at the bottle, hoping that the monk would catch the meaning.

Miroku followed the hanyou's gaze, seeing the sake jug lying there. After a second, the monk looked back at Inuyasha, not knowing what that had to do with Sango. 

Inuyasha rolled with his eyes at the angry glare and nodded meaningfully at Kagome.

Miroku finally got the message. _'Kagome doesn't know about the alcohol!'_ He casually walked into Sango and Kagome's direction, making a small detour to kick the sake jug into the woods. Then he continued on his way, determined to watch out that Sango didn't let something slip.

He was on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, the hanyou had helped him out greatly yesterday. On the other hand, Inuyasha had offended Sango. Should he reprimand the hanyou? Sango had only told him that he shouldn't worry. And that naturally meant that he should worry.

He didn't even know what Inuyasha had done to begin with. He had heard him apologize, though. He sighed. Did the hanyou always have to stir up trouble? _'This could have been a nice wake up in the morning, but no, annoying Sango after what has to be one of the nicest nights of her life is obviously more important,'_ he thought, sure that Sango had enjoyed herself too. He had taken his intention to show consideration for her seriously.

He gave Inuyasha another accusing glare before he reached Sango; he would talk to him later. It also seemed that Sango was set on ignoring the hanyou, so it might be best to follow her example. "Good morning, Sango." He reached down, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Good morning, Miroku," she answered. Miroku couldn't make out discomfort in her voice. That confused him. For being that angry with Inuyasha just moments before, she was too calm now. He hoped that it was part of her plan to ignore the hanyou.

Kagome looked from one to the other, then to Inuyasha. Nobody said something. Inuyasha had crossed his arms and looked generally annoyed. She thought of something to break the tension. "How about breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," Inuyasha almost barked. He turned around and jumped up the tree. 

Kagome watched him settling himself against the trunk. _'No armistice, then.'_

They ate breakfast without Inuyasha. Kagome kept watching him from the corner of her eye, trying to catch him eyeing up the breakfast. He was hungry for sure; he was hungry every morning. _'No wonder with his energy consumption.'_ The last day's training with Shippou must have worn out Inuyasha as well, although she didn't know how long they had taken exactly, because she had been asleep.

She still hadn't caught him when she took the last bite of her breakfast. Miroku and Sango were both eating silently. Shippou had tried to break the uneasy silence, but stopped after a few useless attempts. Kagome didn't think that she would fare better. She felt sorry for Miroku; although he tried to hide it, the monk obviously didn't know how to react to the current situation. Well, neither did she. Usually she would have inquired - and scolded - Inuyasha, but she felt like she would antagonize Sango. 

The others completed their breakfasts as well. _'As if they had synchronized with each other,'_ Kagome thought. They probably had. 

"Shall we get going?" she asked uneasily.

"Yes," Miroku answered, while the others nodded. He helped with packing, like always, because he hadn't anything to prepare for himself. "I'll be going ahead a bit with Sango," he announced when they finished. Sango nodded and went over to the tree she had leaned Hiraikotsu against. After she shot Inuyasha a final dark look, she shouldered her boomerang and left with Miroku.

Inuyasha noticed the pair's leave. _'Typical, to be offended after a bit teasing.'_ Accepting an apology was also asking too much, of course. "Take a flying leap," he grumbled lowly after Sango. He noticed Kagome nearing the tree. He rolled with his eyes, preparing himself for her onslaught.

"Inuyasha, come down please," Kagome stated more than asked.

Inuyasha didn't exactly feel like leaving his tree at the moment, but the prospect of crashing out of it wasn't better. He jumped down and landed in front of Kagome. Wanting to look confident, he leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Yeah?"

"What happened between Sango and you?" Kagome asked directly. She had enough of playing games for this morning.

Inuyasha contemplated what to answer and decided that every believable lie would be just as bad as the truth. "She woke up first, and I teased her a bit." 

Kagome gave him a questioning glare, obviously wanting him to speak further. When he didn't, she prodded with a pointed, "And?"

"And she got all bitchy," Inuyasha answered, straightening himself defensively. 

Kagome's face hardened. "What did you tell her?"

"I made fun about falling for Miroku," he answered. "Nothing serious." How should he have known that the stupid girl would take it seriously?

"About falling for Miroku?" Kagome asked incredulously. _'That's why she's been so furious.'_ Hearing Inuyasha's insults exactly in such a special morning would have angered everyone. "Stupid! Why did you do that?" she shouted, aggravated.

"I was bored," Inuyasha defended himself.

Kagome looked at him in disbelief. "You insulted her because you were bored?"

"I sometimes also have a bad day," Inuyasha murmured. 

"It couldn't get much worse," Kagome commented dryly.

On that, Inuyasha had to agree with her. He was tired. He was pissed. He had pissed off Sango. He didn't have any appetite. He started imagining things. The sun was hurting his eyes. He missed his tree. "Any suggestions?" he asked half-wearily, half-sarcastically.

Inuyasha's question caused Kagome to lose her beat; she hadn't expected that. She sighed. At least he understood that he had done Sango wrong, or he would have been more offensive. "Come on, let's get going," she said, not wanting to fall back too much after Sango and Miroku. She went back for her backpack. Shippou was waiting there with Kirara. The cat was already changed into her greater form, carrying the supplies. Kagome was about to haul her backpack onto her bike, when Inuyasha picked it up for her. 

"You think Sango is still angry?" Inuyasha asked sullenly while he also shouldered her bike. He had thought that the huntress would only be angry for a moment, but Kagome made it sound like Sango would hold a grudge against him. _'It can't be that bad?'_

Inuyasha's question hanging in the air, they set in motion, following the path Miroku and Sango had taken. Shippou, sitting on Kirara, motioned the cat to fall behind. Inuyasha had ruined Sango's morning, and now the hanyou obviously sought reassurance from Kagome. It would be better if he didn't disturb them.

Kagome tried to guess how the huntress would react; till now, Inuyasha and Sango had rarely quarreled, so there wasn't much to go on. Thinking of it, he had squabbled with everyone else in the group; with her, with Shippou, also with Miroku. Everyone but Sango had gotten on Inuyasha's bad side. Had he sheltered the huntress for some reason? "What did you tell her exactly?" Kagome asked milder than before.

"I only teased her about believing Miroku's weak pick-up lines," Inuyasha explained.

"But she never did," Kagome contradicted. Sango had always been wary over them.

"I know!" Inuyasha answered exasperated. In fact, because of this he didn't understand why Sango had gotten angry. "It doesn't make sense!"

"_You_ don't make sense," Kagome shot back. "Why do you throw things at her which you know are untrue?"

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'Because I was bored.' Inuyasha felt like the conversation was turning in circles. "Look, I don't know why I did, and I can't undo what I said." He made a short pause, crossing his arms. "You're going to talk to Sango, aren't you? Can you tell her that I didn't want to insult her?"

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"I tried," Inuyasha answered. "She didn't listen."

"I'll tell her," Kagome promised. She guessed that the excuse out of Inuyasha's mouth hadn't sounded convincing enough to pacify Sango. "I don't think she'll stay mad for long."

"She better not," Inuyasha grumbled.

"She'd have every reason to."

"I don't hold a grudge against her, so I think I can expect the same of her," Inuyasha explained in an annoyed voice.

"Why should _you_ be angry at _her_?" Kagome asked.

"She tried to take my heads off my shoulders in our very first meeting."

"That was something different!"

"Yes, I agree that trying to kill me is different from teasing her a bit!"

Kagome was silent. _'That's not what I was trying to say.'_ She didn't know how the hanyou felt about that incident, but it was a long time ago. _'You also tried to kill me, and I'm not holding it against you!'_ Glaring at the hanyou, she said, "She was deceived by Naraku! You can't blame her for that!"

"I said I'm not," Inuyasha clarified. "And I can expect the same from her."

"You're twisting the truth!" Kagome complained.

"I'm not twisting anything. I'm just stating the facts," Inuyasha retorted.

Kagome glared at the hanyou for being stubborn. Sango had thought that Inuyasha had slaughtered her village. Of course she hadn't seen through Naraku's deception, being out of her mind after having lost her whole family. On the other hand, Inuyasha didn't have any excuse for picking on Sango today. "You just want to hide you're wrong."

"I'm not. Exactly that's what I want you to tell Sango!" Inuyasha took in a calming breath. "I'm not angry or bitter towards her, I'm just trying to say that I should deserve the same."

"You sure have a strange way of saying that," Kagome remarked.

* * * * *

"Why would Inuyasha insult you?" Miroku asked. Sango didn't want to tell him, she kept evading his questions for no apparent reason. At least she had stopped keeping up her cheerful facade during the walk. She didn't look angry now, rather uneasy, but who knew what that meant?

Sango didn't know how to answer. She didn't want to tell Miroku the hanyou's exact words. The monk would be angry if he heard that Inuyasha thought she was stupid for choosing him. "I just became irritated over a small side-comment from Inuyasha; it's not worth mentioning."

Miroku frowned at her. "I know you're not fussing over nothing, so it must have been something serious."

Sango squirmed, feeling guilty. She had wanted reassurance and got insulted, but that was no reason to get aggravated. Inuyasha had apologized and said that he'd only teased her. She was embarrassed for getting worked up like that. She had always prided herself for keeping her head, but obviously she wasn't as level-headed as she had thought.

Inuyasha had found out a weak spot of her. She indeed wasn't sure how stupid she was in her choice of men. She thought that Miroku was the right one, but the same had been valid for Banjiro. She had also heard one joke too much about herself and boys. It had been bad enough in her village, although most were meant good-naturedly, it had always left her feeling awkward - as if it was her duty to marry with thirteen.

"Is it because we are a pair now?" Miroku asked when she didn't answer immediately. He put as much confidence into the question as he could muster. _'We are, aren't we?'_ If she decided that the last evening was a slip, he didn't know what he would do to Inuyasha for working his girlfriend into a foul mood. Sango hadn't really commented on it till now. _'Well, she hasn't commented on anything else either.' _And her earlier embrace was rather encouraging, even if the reason behind had been questionable.

"Of course not." She saw that Miroku took her answer wrong and added sheepishly, "Of course it's not because we are a... a pair now." Sango blushed a bit. It looked like she hadn't yet accustomed to being Miroku's... What exactly? Girlfriend? She noticed Miroku wrapping his arm around her waist, giving her a reassuring, or maybe a reassured squeeze.

Miroku contemplated to follow his action with a kiss, but decided he wouldn't let Sango get away that easily. "So if it wasn't about us, what else was it about?"

Sango sighed, she should have known Miroku would peg away. "It was about us, and it wasn't. Inuyasha has his foul days, you know that as good as me."

Miroku looked at the side of her face; she was looking ahead. _'What a typically female answer.'_ If she had said nothing, he'd known as much. _'About us and not about us...'_ He didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Deciding he better changed to a more pleasant topic before she expected him to understand, he said, "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. Did you sleep well?"

Sango had also enough of that particular topic. "Yes, I did," she answered with a shy smile. "You look like you slept well, too."

"More comfortable, isn't it?" Miroku said, grinning. "I'm sure it will get even better..." he added as if talking to himself while sliding his hand down to her bottom. He narrowly avoided the elbow he had half-expected, jumping to the side. He hoped that returning to familiar paths would cheer her up. "Lady Sango, what was that for?" he said with faked shock.

"Don't Lady me," Sango said. A taunting smile grew on her face. "From now on you'll have to show consideration for me. If you continue like that, I'll have to teach you to regard the feelings of a Lady."

__

'Damn!' Miroku hadn't thought about that yet. That was worse than before, being nearer to that wonderful ass, but not allowed to touch. "That's mean, Sango!" Seeing her smile widen to a grin, he knew that she didn't find him particularly pitiful. He had played nice for a week, that was all he could suffer! "You can grab mine too," he offered.

__

'Why the!' Sango glared at the monk. "Not everyone's into grabbing bottoms."

"Really?" Miroku asked. "That seemed different yesterday. You definitely groped my ass later in the evening..." He trailed off, seeing that his words had the intended effect. Sango blushing was just too cute.

"You're lying," Sango stated unconvincingly.

"You didn't even notice?" Miroku teased further. 

__

'Damn!' Sango thought. Was that true? "So, what about it? I'd need years to get even."

"I guess I'll have to watch out," Miroku answered, turning his head to give his behind a concerned look. When Sango made a step towards him, he made one back, looking threatened. "I've seen through your deception," he said as if seized with dismay and started to run. "You won't catch me and my precious behind!"

"I'll give you a ten-second start!" Sango shouted. After the promised head-start she narrowed her eyes at the fleeing monk, a vicious smile growing on her face. _'Just wait till I get you!'_

* * * * *

Inuyasha went around a small hill and saw Miroku and Sango sitting in the grass beside a fork in the road. The forest had finally thinned out, giving way for grass-covered hills. Kagome and Shippou also seemed to notice the two, Kirara even quickened her steps and went ahead.

__

'What are they waiting for?' It was only short after noon, so it was too soon to rest. They had to get back to the village, new moon was in three days. If Sango bitched at him again, he'd give her a piece of his mind. _'Spoilt little princess!'_ Hopefully Kagome would be able to talk her out of her foul mood. When he reached them, he noticed that they were both sitting there for some time, judging from their lingering smell. Had they rushed to get here? _'Humans...' _Sango didn't look at him. Was she still angry? 

"We've been waiting for you," Miroku spoke up. "The next village lies on the road to the left. It wouldn't be a significant detour."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "What for? We've enough provisions to easily reach Kaede."

"I want to look for more clues," Sango explained. 

"This ain't no sightseeing tour," Inuyasha grumbled. "You can come here later, it's not far from our village."

"This will only take an hour or two, I don't want to wait," Sango told the hanyou. She stood up, walking a few steps towards the left road. "I'll go with or without your consent," she told him, turning around.

"Listen, wench -"

"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted him. "Why don't you wait here while Sango and me pay a short visit to the village." She gave him a pointed look to show him she was decided on this.

"I'll come with you," Miroku joined in, standing up too.

"You should keep Inuyasha company," Kagome told him. "I'm sure you guys have something to talk about."

Miroku shook his head. "That can wait for later. I'll accompany Sango."

Kagome turned to the huntress, waiting for her decision. She'd rather have some time with Sango alone, but if the huntress wanted Miroku with her, she would understand. To Kagome's delight, Sango answered that he should wait for her. The miko noticed that Inuyasha was about to complain again, judging from his look. "Inuyasha, we'll be back as soon as possible. It won't take long." Glad she had anticipated the hanyou's complaints, she turned around and left with Sango.

"Be back in an hour!" Inuyasha shouted after them. The two didn't even bother to turn around. "Dammit," he muttered, putting down Kagome's bike and backpack, "I hope they hurry."

"It's your fault anyway," Miroku scolded the hanyou. "If you hadn't done your stupid 'we have to hurry'-routine, I wouldn't be stuck here with you."

"And me," Shippou broke in, feeling left-out.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. He sat himself in the grass, lying his back against the slope. "If your girlfriend didn't want to visit every fucking village on the way, we wouldn't be sitting here either."

"This is important for her!" Miroku retorted. "This thing killed her grandfather."

"Great grandfather," Inuyasha corrected in an uninterested tone.

"Whatever. Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?"

"You know damn well why!" Inuyasha growled. "I want to get back to Kaede's village."

"Bullshit! We should be able to make it in two days, easily in three. We got farther than we thought in the last two days, especially the day before yesterday."

Inuyasha scowled at Miroku. The monk wasn't wrong, but he'd rather reach the village soon. "If I know you, you'll use that as an excuse to become lazy."

Miroku didn't respond, having enough of arguing senselessly with the hanyou. Instead he sat down beside Inuyasha, lying back similarly. He waited till he was comfortable and thought that the hanyou's mood had also calmed. "Sango was really upset before. I don't know what you did, but I'd rather you _don't_ do that again. I appreciate your help yesterday, but if you keep working against me, we _will_ bump heads." He hoped he had added enough steel to the last part. Sango had acted like it hadn't been a big ordeal, but if Inuyasha continued like that, he'd give the hanyou a piece of his mind. "What happened with Sango this morning?"

__

'Shit!' Inuyasha thought. _'What will Miroku think when I tell him that I called Sango stupid for falling for him?'_ He hadn't thought about that until now, too occupied with Sango. "Didn't she tell you?" he asked a question in reply.

"No, she didn't," Miroku answered. "I asked her, but she wouldn't answer."

"Maybe she wants to let the matter rest?"

"There are always two possibilities when a woman keeps silent," Miroku lectured. "First, she wants you to leave her alone cause she wants to keep a secret, and second, she wants you to ask her until she tells you." He sighed. "There's no method known to man to distinguish the two."

"Interesting..." Inuyasha commented drowsily. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I at least want to know what you said to her," Miroku demanded.

"I only made fun of her falling for you. It' nothing serious..."

Miroku gave Inuyasha a sharp look. "Can you keep your jokes to yourself?"

"I'll try," Inuyasha answered. Having enough of babbling with the monk, he closed his eyes.

* * * * *

Sango and Kagome were walking back. The visit to the village hadn't been successful. Nobody had remembered something concrete about the attack on the mining village, most hadn't even known about it at all.

Sango sighed, she could already imagine the hanyou telling her how he had foreseen this result. At least he couldn't complain about the time they had taken; it couldn't have been much more than an hour, judging by the position of the sun.

She didn't know what could have upset Inuyasha, or why he was so easily upset today. It had caught her eye during their discussion whether to head for the village or not, the hanyou had been even more straight-forward than usual. She couldn't remember herself or her friends doing anything that could have angered him.

It actually wasn't as if she was afraid or submissive towards Inuyasha; she wouldn't have gone to the village if that were so. Still, she wanted to calm down the situation. Kagome had told her that Inuyasha had said he was sorry and only overshot the mark, and she also was willing to return to normal terms. Quarreling further on that subject would only serve to embarrass her again. 

Since they had left the village, Kagome was keeping quiet. They had talked on their way to the village, mainly about Miroku. Sango had approached the matter cautiously, wanting to know what the miko thought about them. Kagome had reassured her, although Sango had the impression that the girl still wanted to know something. She turned towards the miko. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Kagome prepared herself for the upcoming. "You know, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"Yeah?"

"How do you think about children?"

"Eh?" Sango was caught unprepared.

"I'm probably not the person who can advise you on this," Kagome began, "but I'd still like to know what you will do should Miroku ask you to bear his heir." She played with her fingers uncomfortably, she had imagined it a bit easier. If it had been someone else than Miroku, this talk could have waited, but Kagome couldn't help but feel under pressure.

"I haven't really thought about it until now," Sango answered truthfully. "I mean, I've of course thought about having children, just not - now," she added good-naturedly.

Kagome nodded. "I guess you're a step farther than me. I haven't even really thought about children." Still, she was younger than her friend, and she didn't live in the Sengoku Jidai. She could understand that people had children earlier because the chances for an early demise were good. She had told herself she should try to not influence Sango, but rather help the huntress building her own opinion. Kagome was glad that she had had a night's sleep before having this talk. "You should think it through; I'm sure Miroku will bring it up sooner or later."

Sango had to admit that Kagome was right. She agreed that Miroku would approach that subject. Although it seemed like an excuse sometimes, or rather very often, his haste in siring an heir wasn't unfounded. This also brought up another problem, Sango didn't want her first child to be born with a death curse - this not only looked like a bad omen. She wondered about Miroku's stance on this. Till now it hadn't seemed like he spent much thought on it, but who knew what was going on behind his smile? She had caught a short glimpse of the person behind the cheerful facade yesterday.

"Please don't be angry, Kagome," Sango began, "but I want to talk about that with Miroku first. I feel like plotting behind his back. He has also finally found Naraku, maybe he is less desperate than he had to be until now." Kagome had told her months earlier that Miroku hadn't even met Naraku before he had joined Inuyasha. It really had to be a hunt for a phantom, the only prove of its existence the curse on his hand. "There are too many things I don't know about his stance, and I don't want to leave him out of this decision."

Kagome nodded; although she felt a bit repelled, she could understand that Sango wanted to form her opinion together with Miroku. At least she had brought Sango's attention to the problem. "Just don't do anything rash, okay?"

Sango gave her friend a small smile. "I won't. Really, Kagome, you can stop worrying." She hadn't spent much thought on it herself, so she wondered when the miko had gotten all these thoughts into her head. It couldn't have been for long, since the chance of Miroku and her having children was very slim until now - actually nil.

"Um, yes, I'll try," Kagome said. She guessed she was sounding like her mother, when Sango was actually older than herself.

Sango was glad that this discussion was finished, she already saw Inuyasha and the rest coming into view. They had all settled themselves into the grass. Kirara was lying in her greater form, she would have had to take off her burden to change and really rest. While they were nearing, Miroku sat up, and said something to the hanyou. Afterwards he gave Inuyasha a nudge in the side; this caused the hanyou to sit up abruptly. Had he been asleep? _'Putting me under stress to return soon, but sleeping meanwhile?'_ She felt stupid for hastening at all.

Miroku stood up when she reached him. "How did it go?" he asked.

Sango shook her head. "Nothing new," she said, bracing herself.

"Could have told ya from the beginning..." Inuyasha muttered like she had predicted. 

Miroku gave Inuyasha a glare. "It looks like you spent the time sleeping, so you can't complain."

"Was not!"

"Complaining?" Sango asked sarcastically.

"Sleeping." Inuyasha stood up. "Who could sleep with a monk and a fox chatting over your head?"

Miroku narrowed his eyes. He looked at Shippou; the fox also seemed confused. They hadn't talked at all, but rather also used the time to rest. 

"What?" Inuyasha asked in annoyed tone.

"Nothing." Miroku fought to keep the amusement out of his voice. _'Looks like he has dreamed of Shippou and me.'_ He gave Shippou a look, indicating him to keep silent. He didn't want to be drawn into another argument.

"Hmph. Thought so." Inuyasha looked back, down the path they had come from. _'Nothing there.'_ He turned towards the one lying ahead of them. "Can we finally continue?" he asked, shouldering Kagome's belongings again.

"If you have rested enough..." Miroku trailed off. Sango couldn't suppress a grin at Miroku's statement.

"Shut up," Inuyasha growled. He went ahead, showing that he wasn't tired at all. "And get going!"

* * * * *

Shippou hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "Hey, don't you think that it's enough for today?" the fox asked impatiently.

"Enough?"

"The sun's already setting!" Shippou pointed at the sun which was already vanishing behind the horizon. "Everyone's tired."

Inuyasha looked behind. The others had stopped ten meters behind him, looking expectantly at him. "Ten minutes?" he asked, trying to bargain.

"No," Kagome brought out between intakes of breath. "We've made more than enough way for today."

"Five? To find a proper sleeping place."

"No! We'll stay right here," she said, waving at the surroundings. "There is a tree, we can build a fire, the river is next to us, there's no need to go further."

Inuyasha finally turned around and walked back. "If you didn't have to take your stupid bike with you, I could have carried you," he complained.

Kagome glared at him. "It was to help you that I took it along."

"'s not helping at all," Inuyasha grumbled. He put her bike down and leaned it against the only tree in the vicinity. It looked old and wrinkled, with twisted branches that were completely unfit for sleeping. He looked around; the place was totally exposed, also directly next to the road so everyone could find them. "I _like_ it here," he said as sarcastically as he could.

"What are you complaining about?" Shippou asked from the shoulder. "We've slept in places like these often."

"I'm not complaining," Inuyasha said. "I said I liked it, didn't I?"

"Stop being a jerk," Shippou commented and hopped off. He headed towards Kagome, who had wordlessly begun to build a fire. Sango and Miroku had picked up firewood on the way, anticipating that they'd need it, and Kagome provided the easy burnable paper from her time. "Ignore him, Inuyasha's being stupid," Shippou said.

"Don't worry, I've already noticed," Kagome answered, loud enough for the hanyou to hear.

"Keh!"

Shippou ignored him, following Kagome's example. "What's for dinner?"

"Something from Kirara's load. I'm sure she'll appreciate that she won't have to be a pack horse for long."

"Unlike me," Inuyasha interrupted.

"Osuwari," Kagome said evenly. "Counting on a good breakfast tomorrow, we should be able to divide Kirara's burden between us," she continued, ignoring the snarling hanyou.

"Fine, you can carry your fucking stuff yourself tomorrow!" Inuyasha cursed from his subdued position.

Shippou gave Inuyasha a side-look. _'You were practically asking...'_ Well, wasn't his problem. He didn't think that training was a good idea today, Inuyasha was on the edge the whole day. 

He wondered why Kagome was trying to put up with the hanyou, Inuyasha had done his best to try her patience, so Shippou didn't wonder that the second 'Osuwari' for this day had come without announcement. She had tried really long with the first, but some time during the evening her patience had finally snapped. He was rather surprised that Kagome hadn't sat the hanyou more often than twice today - not that it would have helped much. He wouldn't wonder if there were more to follow.

Shippou watched Kagome light the fire with her weird fire-making tool from the future. Usually he lighted the fire with his fox-fire, but she looked like she wanted to do things her way. _'Cause of Inuyasha,'_ he thought. He'd found out she liked to rely on things from her time, especially when she was unsettled; he also thought that was the explanation why she wore the garb from her time.

Once the fire was burning, they all sat around, even Inuyasha. Shippou expected him to complain about the food for not including meat but, for once, there were no complaints. The whole situation seemed to defuse, Inuyasha and Kagome were quarreling lightly about her bike, not disturbing Miroku and Sango on the other side of the fire. The monk and the huntress were really together now, and all thanks to him, Shippou. He bit into his meal with pride, faintly registering that he also missed some meat under the rice. Sadly Inuyasha didn't complain and hunt something for them... Well, maybe it was better that way. Miroku and Sango had distanced themselves during the day because of Inuyasha's foul mood. _'On the other hand, maybe they would have, anyway,'_ the fox added in his thoughts, taking into account that the two likely wanted to spend time together.

"I'm going to sleep on my fuckin' _lovely_ tree." Inuyasha's announcement interrupted Shippou's thoughts. He watched the hanyou jump up the tree and settle against the trunk, making clear that he didn't find the tree lovely at all by repeatedly repositioning himself.

"Can I have the rest of you meal?" Shippou asked, seeing that Inuyasha had left a good third in his bowl.

"Do what you want. Tastes like nothing anyway."

Kagome glared at the hanyou. "Nobody's forcing you."

"That's why I left it."

"I like your food, Kagome," Shippou told her, trying to pacify Kagome. It seemed to work, Kagome turned her face back to her meal. He heard Miroku snicker lightly across the fire. He guessed in the monk's position he'd also have better things to do than to worry about Inuyasha and Kagome. He watched Miroku and Sango stand up. The two announced that they'd be going for a walk and left together.

Shippou was finishing his meal alongside Kagome. The last light was already fading away, so he took a branch and reached back to throw it into the fire.

"Don't," Inuyasha growled out.

Shippou looked up to the hanyou. "Why?"

Inuyasha was silent for a few seconds. "The fire makes us visible to everyone. You're all going to sleep soon, so you can as well let the fire die down."

"But it will scare away dangerous animals," Kagome reasoned.

"It's not the animals I'm worried about," Inuyasha told her.

"But?" Shippou asked.

"Just _don't_."

The tone of the hanyou's voice made Shippou lower his arm and place the branch back to the others. He saw Inuyasha settle back against the tree, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. _'Strange...'_ Maybe Inuyasha was afraid that somebody became aware of their Shikon shards? That had to be it; Shippou had to admit that the place was really very open. Finding a better one would be hard, though. Miroku had said that the next forest was Inuyasha's, and the monk knew the surroundings, after all he had suggested this route in the first place. Kaede's village was built on the outskirts of this forest, and they were nearing the village from the other side, so there would be no cover for the last stretch of road.

Shippou finally finished his meal. Content, and full with Inuyasha's portion, he felt his eye-lids drifting shut. He yawned. 

"Are you tired, Shippou?" Kagome asked.

Still, he didn't want to go to sleep yet. "Not really." He always felt like he was missing things or wasting time when he went to sleep. Miroku and Sango were still not back, he wondered where the two were staying. Well, he had confidence that the monk wasn't messing things up, and Sango seemed to be drawn to his direct nature, even if she slapped him all the time.

He hoped that he would be as successful with Inuyasha and Kagome; even if he liked Sango and Miroku a lot, the other two were more important to him. They had become second parents, Kagome from the beginning, Inuyasha only recently. Or was it for a longer time with the hanyou, too? Inuyasha had never lost a word when he had saved him or hunted for them. Shippou thought about that. Maybe he was just realizing it late, because the hanyou was still young, also acting like that and not really like a parent?

Kagome had been very protective from the beginning, almost like his real mum. Although, nobody would ever be able to replace his mother. He stared into the fire, remembering how she had cared for him, played with him, also reprimanded him. Nobody would ever be like her. _'She'll never replace you,'_ he told his mother silently. Nobody could.

"I'm going to sleep," Shippou announced. He stood up and went for Kagome sleeping bag. Meanwhile he knew how to unroll it, so he took it and spread it out under the tree. He crawled into the sleeping bag, rolling to one side because Kagome would need the place.

He didn't think of his mother often now, and he sometimes feared his memory of her would fade eventually. Already it was becoming hard to remember her face, or the exact tone of her voice. When he felt like talking with someone, it wasn't her who he thought of. In some ways, Kagome _was_ replacing his mother. 

He would sleep another night snuggled up to her.

  


* * *

  
Here it ends for another time. I have the next chapter almost finished. Some of you might have heard this before and doubt me, and I agree that it could take a week or two until the next update. Still, the next chapter is very interesting to write, so I'm progressing faster than with all the Mir/San tralala ;)

The title epigraph's from an old classic of **Black Sabbath**.


	16. Chapter 15: Stop talking so loud

**

Settle the Score

**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings :  
**Here is the next chapter! It's a bit shorter than usually, but it's at least going where I want it to go. It's actually only part of what I intended for this chapter, but it became very long (12.000+ words), and because I'm still not completely satisfied with the end and keep playing around with it, I decided to post at least the part I'm satisfied with. There's also a change in tone and topic where I split it, so I think it's okay. 

I can tell you a good message in return: The next chapter is almost written. I'm still spending a lot of time on fine-tuning, though. The next chapter will have my first OC that will have a second appearance; not too important yet, but I also want to train a bit for my important Original Character.

I keep changing traits and scenes, and have done a lot of research about our beloved Mary Sue. I also added a scene, wrote another and kicked it again, and am now trying my luck with yet another. Anyway, it shouldn't take _too _long.

  
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Reviews revisited :  


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Daniel Gudman - Thanks for your review, also the ones for the other stories! I noticed I didn't respond about the village. What I wanted to show is that finding clues is very hard after such a long time; I actually spared you the search, didn't I? ;)

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Holly - As it is now, the next bit of Inuyasha's past will come in two chapters, and more often from then on. I'm glad this is on your favorites list :)

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Luminae - Thanks for the compliment, they are something personal anyway, so I agree to disregard others' opinions. Only the dead fish swims with the stream (proverbially and literally ;)) Good luck with your own writing, too! The most important thing is to have fun with it, anyway. That's my only tip, don't know Harry Potter, sorry.

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Mink - Well, the teasing will mostly stop in two chapters, if my planning is any good (hasn't been too reliable until now ;)). I'm actually starting the uncovering in this chapter, although it's a very vague start.

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Anandria - Well, I'm actually fighting with IY and Sango a bit, because a quarrel between them wasn't planned in. I think I'll solve it in the next chapter; even in this it's already mostly on ice. My native tongue is German, I guess that's an advantage because its grammar is rather similar to English. Well, my beta-readers also have helped me out a lot, by both correcting my writing and also stopping me from repeatedly making the same faults. ;)

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Mistress Shinigami - Well, it's mostly my idea of an Inuyasha/Sango quarrel, because I really can't remember any of those in the manga. They're avoiding the topic for now, but it's not completely out of the world yet; I hope I got the balance.

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Inu-dude - LOL. I warned you in the foreword that Inu/Kag could take some time. :) Their first quarrel was maybe a bit cheap, but well, it was the first quarrel I had ever written. I hope I'm getting their (non-)relationship better now.

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Renangel - Hehe, looks like you liked the joke about leaving women alone. I sometimes can't help myself but insert a few jokes, even if the tone of the story is more serious, usually. Well, at least it seems to fit to a certain extent. What shall I say; it's my style.

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Lady Wolf Moon - Thanks for all the reviews, also for the other fics. And thanks for all the encouraging... prodding. ;) I think it's not bad if your favorite authors are guys. A word about romance, though, I was fighting with the romantic chapter for a long time (was part of the reason why it took two months), and also got some help from a "pro". It's not really a strength of mine, even if I can cover it up ;) In retrospect, it was rather annoying, because the plot isn't advancing at all (I can't call the romance in this fic my plot), but it takes up a lot of time and space.

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Admiral Biatch - Hmm, you found the last chapter too short? Interesting. :) I've thought about it, and it is maybe because I had a good number of cuts in the chapter. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that this chapter is only half as long in word count.

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Anrui Lowe - No, you're not _totally_ mistaken in associating it with Inuyasha's new moon. That was an evil answer... I'm really sorry, but I have this trauma that hinders me in revealing anything of my plot. :) (Some might call it malice...)   
I've taken a short look at your fics, but I don't know any of the fandoms. Your chapters seem to be long, though, to me this is usually a very promising sign!

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Kagome39 - I liked your statement that you feel almost like reading a book. I liked that a lot! Well, if I had known that this would turn out that long... But for my first fic ever, I'm proud of it. Oh, the haughtiness... :)

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Bluefuzzyelf - Well, you were not the only one waiting for the others to find out about Inuyasha. About why Inuyasha is so alert, you get a few suggestions in this chapter, but not much more. I can't help myself :)

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Disclaimer :  
Nope, last time I checked, it wasn't mine.

  
****

Special thanks to :  
Much thanks to _Tamerlane_ for doing the betaing again. You're a great help, girl! I'm sorry that my writing is so unstable and I change things all the time. ;)  
And to _Mikky_, for your cool reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

  


_Stop talking so loud, I can hear what you're saying  
is what you're saying._

****

Stop talking (so loud)

Inuyasha stood in the darkness. He couldn't see anything; he couldn't even feel any ground he would have had to stand on. He was just floating there, in the black, timeless void. 

After a while, he could make out something amidst the nothingness. He looked away and in, to make sure he wasn't imagining things, but there definitely was something. 

He started to walk, feeling that it would bring him closer even if his feet weren't touching ground. He finally saw that it was his mother, waiting there for him. Suddenly he saw a man appear behind her. Inuyasha couldn't recognize the silhouette, but he saw the stranger drawing back the sword in his arm.

"Haha-ue!" he cried. Starting to run, he pointed behind her, trying to draw her attention to the man. She didn't react. "There's someone behind you!"

She looked at him with sad eyes, but didn't move. "Inuyasha, stop!" she commanded in a dire voice. When he did as she said, she continued desperately, "You can't defeat Haranobu. Run away! There's nothing you can do for me."

Inuyasha saw the man grabbing a fistful of her hair, yanking back her head.

"There's nothing you can do..." She trailed off in a despairing voice. She still hadn't moved at all. "Please, Inuyasha, run!" she begged. "You cannot help me. Flee and don't look back!"

The man she had called Haranobu thrust his sword in her neck from behind. Inuyasha stood there, paralyzed, not able to move. The blade slid out her throat. The man looked at him, the eyes gazing at him over his mother's shoulder. Inuyasha recognized the face. He turned around and ran without looking back. "You won't be able to run forever," he heard the man behind him.

Inuyasha looked back, and saw that he didn't gain space, although he was running. He ran faster, but it didn't help. Although his pursuer didn't seem to move, he didn't get away.

The man pulled the sword out of his mother's corpse and pointed it at him. "You are the next."

* * * * *

Inuyasha awoke with a suppressed cry. Before he could calm down, he noticed he was falling. Upside down at that; looking 'up' gave him view of the rapidly nearing earth. Acting on reflex, he stretched out his right arm and rolled off his shoulder when he hit the ground. The first thing he noticed was the still heavy blow to his shoulder, but he had expected that. Only a moment later a sharp twinge assaulted his head, causing him to lose balance when he stood up, completing the roll.

Staggering slightly, he concentrated on a point before his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his head. He was staring right into the eyes of Kagome. She was looking at him, a startled expression on her face.

"Inuyasha?" she asked with an unsure tone.

Inuyasha looked into the round with a confused expression. Everyone sat around the campfire which Miroku was currently building. The monk had stopped, though, eyeing him like the rest of his friends. "Huh?" Inuyasha brought out, failing to come up with a more intelligible answer.

"Did you fall out of the tree?" Miroku asked.

"Fall out...?"

"Or were you eager to get breakfast?" Sango asked sarcastically.

Inuyasha's brain finally kicked in. _'Falling - Tree.'_ He looked behind, finding the tree where he expected it. The only thing missing was himself lying up in it. _'I fell out!?'_ He turned back, folding his arms over his chest. "Why are you all up already?"

"We got up ten minutes ago. You were not awake, so we decided to let you sleep and started without you," Miroku answered.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, but quickly decided otherwise when he noticed the pain increasing in his forehead. Just his luck to finally fall asleep when the others stood up. He saw what they were preparing for breakfast: some vegetarian stuff again. He felt sick just from looking at it and involuntarily took a step back, trying to get the urge to throw up under control.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked concerned. The hanyou's face had gone pale from one second to the other.

Inuyasha somehow registered the question, but wasn't really up to answering, much less truthfully. He turned around, they would notice how he felt if they watched him. "I'm out to hunt." Meat would be better. He needed meat.

"Can I come with you?" Shippou asked from behind him.

Inuyasha was in a dilemma. He didn't want to take the fox with him, but he also didn't want to argue. He could imagine the discussion: how much Shippou had to learn hunting from him, and that he shouldn't be pig-headed. "Do what you want." 

He heard Shippou follow him. Someone would have likely annoyed him sooner or later, anyway; maybe at least the others would leave him alone, now that Shippou was with him. If they decided to follow him, they wouldn't have far to go; his hunting grounds weren't far off from the camp. Without woods, fishing was the easiest and most promising option. The place they were camping on was slightly elevated, so he went down the slope to the riverbank. Searching for a good spot, he went up the stream. 

He thought about his nightmare. The strange thing was that he could remember every detail. He clenched his fist at his mother's death. Was that how she had died? Killed by the fucking guy from his memory? When he had told Kagome about his memory loss, he had left out that he didn't know anything about his mother's fate, but he had told her that he didn't know the name of the guy who had said he bought them. He couldn't remember the name, but he had recognized the face immediately in his dream. The hairs in his neck stood again at the memory. His mother - or, the mother in his dream - had called the man Haranobu. Was that really his name? Or was it only a dream? But why would he make up names in his sleep?

"Dammit," he cursed, clenching his fist. _'I don't know a fucking thing!'_

"Inuyasha?" Shippou asked behind him.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha growled. He had almost forgotten that the fox was behind him.

"Are you okay?" Shippou asked uneasily. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to follow the hanyou, when he started the day with cursing for no reason. Maybe he was embarrassed about falling out of the tree?

"Of course," Inuyasha answered curtly.

Shippou was quiet for a while. "Shouldn't we start fishing then? We're not on our way yet."

"Fishing. Yeah, we're far enough," Inuyasha muttered, eyeing the river for a good spot. _'I was fishing right before this guy had arrived, back then.'_ Was his name really Haranobu? He had to be dead, too. He must have been a human, so after fifty years his chances of survival were roughly the same as his mother's. Why did this guy upset him so much? Maybe he should keep calling him Haranobu, saying 'the guy' all the time would just serve to make him angrier.

Shippou watched the hanyou. Inuyasha was staring into the water, obviously far away in thoughts. He found it creepy. "Inuyasha?" he asked warily. The hanyou turned towards him abruptly, causing Shippou to flinch slightly. Although this situation was completely different, his last experience with Inuyasha at a river had been very unpleasant. But Inuyasha just looked down to him, so Shippou relaxed again.

"Inuyasha, I thought we wanted to fish?"

"Well, if you are so greedy for fish, it will be best to catch them yourself." Inuyasha was pleased with his idea. If the fox caught the fish, he could relax in the meantime. _'That is, if Shippou doesn't annoy me.'_ But why not make the best out of the situation? "Hunting and fishing is important, so this is a good opportunity for you to learn."

Shippou nodded, waiting for Inuyasha to continue.

"Most fish are facing upstream because, that way, food is drifting right into their mouths," Inuyasha began to explain. "If you make use of that, you'll be able to catch them easier. Approach them from behind, and they won't see you coming."

Inuyasha rubbed his temple, thinking of what else was to explain. "Also, they might feel you coming if you wade in the water. Jumping them from the shore or from rocks in the water might work better. Generally, I find fishing around the stones easier."

Shippou nodded and listed what the hanyou had told him. Inuyasha supported what the fox had said and continued, "Fish are slippery, so skewering them with your claws works better. You can also try a quick swipe to throw them on the river bank. In the end, it comes down to reflexes and experience. And, don't forget that water makes things appear at a different angle. You must compensate that, but after some tries you'll get the feel."

Shippou knew what Inuyasha meant. When he put his arm into the water, it appeared broken where the water met the air. "Anything else?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's not that complicated. Just go ahead and try," he encouraged. When the fox headed for the river, Inuyasha sat down and lay back. Closing the eyes wasn't really better, so he decided to watch Shippou's tries. The scene reminded him of himself and thoughts drifted off again. He had caught fish for him and his mother more than once. It actually was the last thing he remembered doing for her.

"What are you thinking about?" Shippou interrupted his thoughts. 

"About the past. Stuff like that," Inuyasha answered casually. _'I can't have a single calm minute, can I?'_ he grumbled mentally. How should he sort out his thoughts if he got interrupted all the time?

Shippou was quite for a while after that answer. "Inuyasha? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked in annoyed tone.

"I... Do you - Do you remember your parents?" Shippou asked hesitantly. He had thought about them yesterday, and somehow the fact that he started to forget them hadn't left him alone since then.

"Eh?" Inuyasha asked, taken aback. "My parents?"

"You know, their faces and their voices. Their smell."

"Hmm. I don't know nothing 'bout my father; Haha-ue told me that he died when I was five. But I can remember my mother very well. Her voice, her face, her way of doing things... She could get very serious if need be, but also -" Inuyasha stopped. "Why are you asking?"

"I've thought about my parents yesterday. I can't even remember their faces clearly." Shippou's voice lowered, he was staring into the water. "Is that... normal?"

"Normal, normal. Nothing is normal. You're a child and haven't seen them for months. Some remember, some not. Don't worry. Take me, I don't remember a thing 'bout my father. Changes nothing anyway."

Shippou noticed the indifference in the hanyou's tone. "But you said you remember your mother."

"Yeah."

Shippou was quiet again. Inuyasha didn't remember his father, because he had been too young. _'And Inuyasha has said that I'm also too young.'_ It had been worrying him, but he felt a bit better now. _'Changes nothing anyway,'_ he remembered Inuyasha's words. They weren't wrong, but sure showed a cold way to look at things. The hanyou claimed to remember his own mother, though. "Looks like you have a better memory than me."

"Maybe, maybe not." Inuyasha shook his head, calming himself down. No need to add to his headache. "And I thought you wanted to fish," he said, pointing at the river.

For the next minutes, the hanyou had his peace. Beside Shippou splashing with water when he tried to catch a fish, nothing did disturb Inuyasha. He closed his eyes for a short while, but felt too exposed and opened them again. 

He was becoming tired from looking over his shoulder. Was he going insane? Maybe his queasy feelings were aligned with the dreams? That maybe was it; they were telling him to rush to the village because of the new moon. But why now, all of a sudden? He had always hid during new moon, but he had never experienced something like this. He hadn't slept for more than a few hours for the last four days. Always awake. Not able to calm down, relax. Always ready. He felt like fighting or running, but was forced into this fucking comfortable stroll.

"Yes!" Shippou called from the river. The fox had finally caught a fish and threw it on the riverbank. Inuyasha stood up and went to pick it up, but stopped half-ways. He felt his stomach rebel again. _'Fine, I got it, no fish either!'_ he cursed at his stomach. To justify standing up, he knelt down and killed the fish with his claws, holding his breath to avoid smelling the offending taste. "No need to let it struggle to death," he explained and stood up. 

"After the next one, we're leaving," he told the fox and walked back to his place. If he couldn't eat the fish, there was no point in staying and wasting time.

Shippou proved himself being a fast learner again, catching his next fish after only a minute. The two headed back together with the catch. 

"Here, eat one, too" Shippou said, offering Inuyasha one of his two fishes, and took a bite from the other.

"Thanks, I'll keep it for later." Inuyasha took it. He noticed the fox giving him a suspicious look and decided to distract him. "Why didn't you eat Kagome's breakfast? Is not as good as you make it sound?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, only rice all the time isn't good," was all that Shippou answered, grinning back.

"Figures." Inuyasha had wondered if the fox was also picking up Kagome's eating habits, but it looked like Shippou was staying true to his nature. 

He eyed the sky, it looked like it would turn out like another fine day. It should help them in reaching the village today; if they were quick, they could make it there this evening. He hoped that the others would see the practicality of that, they would have at least one free day because of the new moon. If they didn't waste time, it shouldn't be a real problem.

Inuyasha saw that they reached the camp and went up the slope. He saw Kagome and Kirara sitting on one side of the meanwhile burning fire, Miroku and Sango on the other. They were finishing their breakfast, but Inuyasha couldn't help but feel annoyed at their tardiness. _'I'm teaching Shippou how to fish in the time they need to eat breakfast!'_

"Hi, Inuyasha," Kagome greeted him, noticing him first. She continued a bit hesitantly, "How are you feeling?"

Inuyasha found everyone staring at him. He guessed that they had been talking about him and his fall out of the tree. "I'm fine."

"Are you feeling ill?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Course not!" 

"Don't act as if there's nothing wrong. I'm not blind, you know?" Kagome said, intending to peg away this time. 

"And what are your all-seeing eyes telling you?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

"That you have some kind of problem!" Kagome shot back with conviction. 

"I said I'm fine!" Inuyasha growled.

Miroku was surprised at Inuyasha's outburst. It was clear that he was _not_ fine. "Inuyasha, what is going on? You're not _this_ edgy usually."

"Keh! Instead of worrying you should rather pack and get going!"

"Why such a hurry, Inuyasha?" Sango asked cynically.

"You know damn well why," Inuyasha responded, finding himself cornered by all of his friends. "If you're continuing to chatter here, I'm going ahead," he said, turning around.

"Inuyasha, you stay here and tell us what's wrong," Kagome said. She had enough of Inuyasha's foul mood; she had kept up with it yesterday and the day before. She was finally sure that something was going on, and she wanted to know what. Miroku and especially Sango also had to feel the same.

"Keh!" Instead of really answering, Inuyasha set into motion. 

"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome called.

"Meet you in the village," Inuyasha said with a wave of his hand.

Kagome got up. "Osuwari!" she finally shouted.

Kagome expected a length of curses, but instead Inuyasha's snarl changed into a gurgling sound when he hit the ground. 

  


Inuyasha thought that his head exploded. He didn't know what noises escaped him, and he didn't care. He retched a few times, but his stomach was empty. He saw colors dancing before his eyes. _'My head!'_ His head had never hurt like this. He retched again and brought up a bit gastric acid, letting it seep out of his mouth.

"Inuyasha?" He became aware of a voice behind him, piercing through the pain he feared would split his head in two. He was still held to the ground, not that he would have moved otherwise.

"Inuyasha, what's going on?"

Kagome. 

He felt someone touch his shoulder, sending another wave of pain through his head. "Don't - touch me."

He felt the hand retract. Then, the strain to his neck also vanished. Inuyasha breathed in, even that made his head feel like a knife was being twisted in it. He tried to get his breathing under control by forcing himself to breathe slowly and regularly. "Fuck," he cursed quietly, partially glad that nobody could see him, or at least his face. He cautiously opened his eyes and noticed that he had water in them. Fortunately, there wasn't much, and he could blink it away.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked again. "How are you feeling?" 

He still didn't answer her, but at least she saw him move one hand to his head. Finally, he stood up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. When she saw him staggering slightly, she reached forward to steady him. He made a step away, looking at her with a threatened expression. A moment later he lost his balance and fell to his knee, catching his fall with one hand. He lowered his head slightly, still holding it with his other hand.

Taken aback, Kagome needed a second to catch herself. _'Don't touch me,'_ she remembered his words. Inuyasha had never looked threatened at her. Inuyasha had never been threatened _of_ her. "Inuyasha?" She felt stupid for calling his name all the time, but she didn't know what else to say.

Sango watched the scene, mystified by the hanyou's behavior. She was sure that he had thrown up earlier. _'What's wrong with him?'_ she thought, watching the kneeling hanyou, his lowered face indistinguishable. She looked at Miroku, who was standing next to her; judging from his startled expression, the same thoughts were running through his head.

"I'm okay," Inuyasha gritted out through his teeth. "Just get your stuff packed."

"You're not! Tell me what's wrong," Kagome said half appellatively, half encouragingly.

"Or you do what? Sit me again?" Inuyasha asked bitterly.

"Of course not!"

Inuyasha was silent. After a while, he laid back on the ground, rubbing his temples, his eyes closed. "My head... It's killing me."

"You've got a headache?" Miroku asked with surprised voice.

"Could you just get the damn stuff packed?" Inuyasha growled, not moving his head.

Kagome nodded at the monk. Miroku shot Inuyasha a final glance, then went back to the camp with Sango to pack their belongings. Shippou trailed after them after another nod of the miko, looking behind over his shoulder with a confused expression.

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha when they were out of immediate earshot. They wouldn't hear her if she talked quietly. "Inuyasha, tell me what's bothering you. I've never noticed you having a headache before."

Inuyasha was quiet, just lying on his back and breathing regularly. His face relaxed gradually, and after a minute he sat up again.

"Is it better?" Kagome asked.

"Not really," Inuyasha admitted. "But it shouldn't hinder me too much."

"Not hinder you?" Kagome asked disbelievingly.

"I guess I'll have to watch out not to bang my head." Inuyasha tried to look encouraging but, judging from Kagome's expression, wasn't too successful.

"Tell me what's wrong," Kagome tried again. "There's something going on, and it's hurting you."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. If he disagreed, she'd just shove the fact he let a simple headache distract him under his nose. It also didn't look like Kagome would back down, she kept asking what was going on. "I didn't sleep well lately, I guess that's why I'm having a headache," he admitted finally.

"What means 'not well'? And how long is lately?"

Inuyasha squirmed under her questioning stare. He should have known that she would keep asking. "In the beginning, I just woke up earlier. But recently, I haven't slept at all. Today for maybe an hour," he answered, keeping to the truth for now. He wasn't up to inventing stories.

"When did that start?" Kagome asked.

"Only recently."

"When is recently?" Kagome stressed every word.

"Five days ago, I think," Inuyasha admitted.

"You've been without sleep for almost a week?" Kagome asked incredulously. A human would break down after two days or maybe three, especially under straining conditions. She remembered how tired she had been after only one day and a half; when she had stayed up until afternoon of the next day during the celebration of new year, she couldn't have kept her eyes open for longer. But all she got from Inuyasha after five days was the admittance of a headache.

"I told you it wasn't that bad in the beginning!" Inuyasha defended himself.

"And when did it become bad?" Kagome retaliated. Inuyasha didn't answer her, but looked away. _'Thought so.'_ Why did he always have to keep his problems to himself? Why hadn't he just asked for a day off, so he could recover? "Do you know why you can't sleep?"

"I -" Inuyasha struggled with himself. If he didn't tell her, pretending he didn't know, she might believe him. "I don't -" On the other hand, maybe she and her friends would go faster if she knew why he was driving them on, even if it was a cheap reason. "I thought that... I think that it's because I want to reach the village this time."

"Because of the new moon?" Kagome asked, hoping she didn't say too much. Inuyasha didn't like them talking directly about his transformation, reasoning that Naraku could eavesdrop anytime. For now, Inuyasha didn't seem to care, but just nodded in response to her question. 

"Has this happened before?" she asked quietly.

Inuyasha shook his head.

"Then it could be something else, couldn't it?"

Inuyasha shrugged with his shoulders. "I don't know. It's just the most obvious thing coming to my mind. I mean, the... timing is fitting, and I also wanted to make it back before this mess started."

He looked to his side suddenly, but relaxed when he saw it were only Miroku and Sango, who were walking towards them. It looked like they were prepared for departure, in the background Kirara was waiting patiently with Shippou. They had loaded the cat with the rest of their supplies again. 

"I thought Kirara would be given a rest today?" Inuyasha asked.

"Would you rather carry our supplies yourself?" Miroku asked in return. Kirara had agreed to carry the supplies one more day because of the hanyou's condition.

"Would be no problem!" Inuyasha declared.

__

'Yeah,' Kagome thought. She turned towards Miroku and Sango and asked them if it was okay if Inuyasha and she went ahead a bit. The two agreed, although they looked curious. _'I guess they'll also want to know...'_ she thought, although she had this feeling that Inuyasha would want her to keep silent. Well, the main reason was that she thought that Inuyasha hadn't told her everything. Even if he was worried about his transformation into a human, it didn't justify acting like he was. Inuyasha looked like he knew what she was planning, but didn't complain. Kagome walked ahead with him.

"Inuyasha, is there something more?" she asked when they were out of hearing range.

Inuyasha looked behind. They were far enough that even Shippou shouldn't be able to follow their conversation. He turned back towards Kagome. "You absolutely must not tell them."

Kagome was prepared for that. "Inuyasha, you can trust me. I didn't tell them about your... past, did I?"

He nodded, contemplating how to begin. It was hard to describe it with words. "I have a feeling; that there is something - someone out there. I can't tell why I have this feeling, or about what exactly." He shrugged. "It's just - there."

Kagome looked around herself after Inuyasha's admission, also sensing for a Shikon shard or other unusual auras. "From which direction?" she asked after not finding anything.

"I don't know!" Inuyasha exclaimed exasperated. He waved with his hands, annoyed at how stupid this must sound. "It's... I don't know, in the air. Everywhere. I sometimes think I smell something, but then it's gone. I think I hear something, but there is _nothing_!" Inuyasha clenched his fists. "I don't know what is going on. I tried to track it down, without success. I couldn't even tell in which _direction_ I should search."

"Inuyasha, calm down," Kagome soothed, surprised at Inuyasha's outburst.

Inuyasha relaxed his hands. "I guess I'm just overcautious because I don't get enough sleep. But I don't want to take any chances. If there really is something out there, it would be better if we were in the village." And he could send Kagome to her time should something happen.

Kagome nodded. "If you think you can sleep better there, I guess we can make it to the village today. You should have told us sooner!"

"It wasn't that bad. Even yesterday I didn't have a headache, it started just this morning. I don't want to worry you over nothing." Even now he was embarrassed for not being able to tell why he couldn't sleep or felt followed.

"Is there something else?" Kagome asked.

Yes, there were nightmares with that bastard showing up; was his name really Haranobu? There was his mother being repeatedly killed in his dreams. There was the urge to snap and just run, to leave it all behind. There was part of him that didn't care what would happen to his friends then.

"No, that's all."

* * *

So, that's it for now. I hope Inuyasha was the right mix between ill-tempered and sleep-deprived. As always, suggestions, critique and encouragement is welcome!

The song and title epigraph is from **Pitchshifter**. Great band, a bit like _Prodigy_ maybe, but definitely top notch Metal.


	17. Chapter 16: Refuse Resist

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**Author rantings :**  
Another anniversary: I've exceeded the 30 mark in the favorite author page, and am now on the Favorite Authors list of 31 members of FF.net. Yeah! :)

Sorry for the wait, but I kept tweaking this chapter to no end. I wasn't forced to rewrite – thank god – but only counting the words I added would make about 1000. I really hope that it paid off, the first version read quite differently. 

The title epigraph is from **Sepultura**. 

  
**Reviews revisited :**  


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Holly – Well, I guess the chapter was shorter than usual, but "such a short chapter"? LOOL. I'm glad you never find it long enough, that's a good sign for me ;) I'm not sure if that much condolence for you, though.

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KaGoMe39 – I'm glad this is still interesting. Actually, I found that the later chapters were lacking some steam, but I was really satisfied with the last chapter, it got me back on track again. Anyway, I hope you will continue to find this interesting, and better than many others!

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Daniel Gudman – Well, I'm finally getting where I wanted to go when I started writing this story. A few chapters more to go, and it even looks like there won't be anything to sidetrack me. And, the bad guy finally has his name. ;)

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Mink – Thanks for the encouragement! Having Inuyasha in a pissed off mood all the time is a bit straining to write; he's complicated enough when he has had enough sleep. Here comes more of the tale!

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Anandria – Well, foreign languages are always kinda hard to understand; I've been to a few countries, mostly in Europe, and you have absolutely no chance without some knowledge. Anyway, I hope you continue to like this story. No revealing of Inuyasha's past this time...

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Inu-dude –Inuyasha is in an experimental state right now. I think this is the most open I can make him. ;)

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Anrui Lowe – Hehe, imagining music is always a good sign; I'm writing to it often, so I understand what you're meaning. Sadly, the restriction of paper is that you can't have cool sound effects and music...

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Lady Wolf Moon – I'm not sure what to make of your latest review; it looks like part of it got cut off? Anyway, here is the next chapter.

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Tom – As far as I know the third movie is still in the making, isn't it? Also, to tell the truth I wasn't that thrilled by the first two movies, so I'm kinda skeptical towards the third one, too. Well, I guess I'm going to see it, anyway...

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Crystal Twilight – Yes, Inuyasha is even more closed off since he isn't able to think straight. Luckily, Kagome is good in dragging a bit information out of him. And don't forget about Sango's analytical mind ;)

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Nadia – Well, I try to do the least amount of cliffhangers possible, but I _have_ to end a chapter somewhere. I think this chapter doesn't have a cliffhanger, although that maybe lies in the opinion of the reader.

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Omnitoad – Don't be afraid to write a few words ;)

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Koinu-chan – Here's the next chapter. Love and Peace.

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Kenkaya – Thanks again for your great review! I think this chapter should partially satisfy your wish for IY/Kag interaction, although most of it is saved for later chapters. I kept to your advice of tension ;)

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Celestial_x – Hope to read from you. If you have suggestions on something, just tell me!

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Renangel – Hehe, "Good chappie, like always"? I hope I won't get too cocky ;)

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Hakusan – Thanks for your reassurance concerning the insomnia. I like to experiment with unusual situations, so I haven't much to go by beside the opinion of my readers.

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Alesyira – Damn, I definitely know how it is to get near the end of a good story. It's even worse for the discontinued ones. Mustn't whine about "The White Dog". Mustn't ...  
Anyway, as I plan to continue this, I hope to avoid this with my fic. I also hope I will get this finished some time in the (far) future... The other stories I mentioned should all be well written, but I think one got discontinued after the first chapters already. Till now I wouldn't know of a better place than ID to search for good IY fics, although Cataluna also has a list with good fiction. Anyway, thanks for the nice review!

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Disclaimer :  
The choir sang: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. One person stepped out of line, though: Rumiko Takahashi.

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Special thanks to :  
_Tamerlane_ for editing. I nagged her a few times because I kept playing around with this chapter, but she stoically endured it all. Thanks a lot :)

* * *

**Chapter 15**

  
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Chaos A.D, Army in siege  
Total Alarm, I'm sick of this 

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Refuse/Resist

It was late afternoon, and they were still on their feet. Miroku wondered when they would reach the village, hoping that it would be before sundown. Well, they still had a few hours, and they had quickened their pace because Kagome had asked them to. She hadn't told them details, and he asked himself again what she was keeping secret. He had discussed that with Sango, and she had come to the opinion that Inuyasha wouldn't drive them on just because of being grumpy. She thought that there was something going on in the village. She had approached Inuyasha about that, but the hanyou had evaded all her questions.

Miroku himself decided to deal with things when he had to. Right now, more important to him than fretting about Inuyasha was thinking about Sango. They'd spend two nice days, especially considering they'd practically been on the run. One advantage of reaching the village today would be that they'd have one day just for themselves. Miroku found that this was worth the effort.

He had found out that he hadn't really thought about what would happen after winning her over. He had placed all of his energy into that, but now he found that he wasn't sure about some things. First of all: about his heir. Until now, all of the woman had been anonymous and he hadn't really cared one way or the other. But with Sango, the situation had gotten confusing.

As much as he would like to have an heir with Sango - and the process of creating one, he thought with a smirk - he didn't know how she thought about that. He was rather for sooner than later, but if she wanted to wait until they had killed Naraku, he could understand that. Or rather, had to understand. 

He didn't know how he should react if she declined. Of course, they weren't officially married or anything, so maybe he was getting ahead. And, he had finally found Naraku, so maybe he could wait for a bit longer. He'd rather not, though. He didn't know at all when the air rip would swallow him. Also, his life become significantly more dangerous since he had joined Inuyasha's group: Naraku was constantly toying with them, and they encountered Shikon-enhanced youkai almost every week. 

Although, Sango might be in greater danger if she was pregnant. Who knew what ideas Naraku could get? And as much as he hated to admit it, but without a Sango in top condition they might not be able to kill Naraku. His air rip was rendered useless by the bugs which the bastard surrounded himself with, so Sango was a better assist than himself against Naraku.

He wondered if he should talk with someone, to get an independent opinion. The question was with whom. Shippou was too young; that left Kagome and Inuyasha. From what he had gathered in their time together, the women in Kagome's time waited longer to settle down with family; that would likely bias her towards waiting. Inuyasha didn't seem to care either way. Maybe he would talk to him once the hanyou had calmed down again; although, who knew ho long that could take?

This brought his thoughts back to Inuyasha. The hanyou was currently walking a few meters in front of him, and was holding himself quite well. He also wondered what was going on with Inuyasha, but didn't share Sango's opinion that the hanyou was suspecting something in the village. It didn't fit together, although he didn't have a better explanation.

For the last days, Inuyasha had been increasingly unstable. Even if he left out the anger that seemed to be boiling in the hanyou, the events of this morning had been disturbing. Inuyasha had a very high pain barrier, for him to break down like that, it had to be one hell of a headache. The hanyou had tried to act normal since then, but Miroku had noticed him flinching a few times.

He saw Inuyasha slowing his steps in front of him. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked when the hanyou came to a halt.

"Quiet!" Inuyasha hissed. His ears turned forward, he stood, listening intently.

Shippou, who was currently sitting on Kagome's shoulder, tensed too, as did Kirara. The cat crouched low and crawled out of the carrying strap.

"What is going on?" Kagome whispered just loud enough to be heard. Out of custom, she reached out with her senses, but couldn't feel any Shikon shards.

"Dog demons," Inuyasha whispered back.

"I knew it!" Sango exclaimed. "What were they doing in the village?"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha cursed. "How should I know?"

"No need to get aggravated," Miroku calmed, not wanting another argument between Inuyasha and Sango.

"Shut your trap and stay behind me," Inuyasha stated, the hand already on his sword. "I can't understand them."

"Understand them?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I hear them howling, behind the hills," Inuyasha answered and fell silent again. After a few seconds, he relaxed marginally. "They come without intention of invading the territory."

"Invading which territory?" Kagome felt like all she did today was asking questions.

"No idea. That's what they're howling. I don't understand them that well..." Inuyasha trailed off, concentrating again. He hadn't listened to this language for an eternity.

"Dog demons are very protective over their territory," Sango provided. "It's their way of saying that they don't want to fight."

"Keh! As if I'd trust them."

That instant, two giant dogs appeared over a hill ahead of them. Despite their gigantic dimensions, they both carried themselves with grace and swiftness, taking many meters with each stride.

"Stay behind me!" Inuyasha warned again and crouched slightly. _'The right one has to be bigger than Sesshoumaru!'_ He felt the ground begin shaking under their steps as they came nearer, although they slowed down to a comfortable trot. He looked at his surroundings, but there was nothing especially useful. There were a few trees on the wayside, but nothing that would be of significant use against two gigantic dog demons.

Inuyasha could see them both clearly now. The smaller youkai looked young, judging from the exuberant steps. He was about two thirds as tall as Sesshoumaru, gauging the shoulder height. The fur was completely black, Inuyasha couldn't find a single colored spot. The only thing noticeable was the unusual bright shade of blue of the demon's eyes, providing a stark contrast to the dark fur surrounding them. Beside that, the fur didn't reveal any striking characteristics.

The bigger one appeared to be older, but Inuyasha couldn't guess the exact age, not accustomed to the appearances of dog demons. The slight silvery shimmer of the brown fur spoke for his guess, though. Inuyasha saw a scar running along the demon's upper chest, without a hair growing on it. Despite that, the youkai appeared vital. Something about this dog demon made him seem more dangerous than the other, although Inuyasha couldn't pinpoint what exactly. Maybe it was the subtle grace the youkai was carrying himself with.

When they had almost reached the group, both began to transform into their human form. The bodies rapidly lost size, the bones shifted into their new positions. Inuyasha felt reminded about his human transformation, when for instance his ears also changed. It always itched, and Inuyasha wondered how the two felt with their whole body transforming. Pushing the thought away, he returned his concentration on the demons. 

The two youkai were now fully transformed a few meters in front of him. The only thing that remained original was the hair color. The scar of the older youkai was concealed by his clothes now; Inuyasha wondered how these appeared during the transformation. The human appearance was also old, he would have guessed a human of around sixty years, were it not for the pointed ears. Inuyasha couldn't find any weapons on him, but that didn't mean much.

The other youkai looked young, with an appearance of not even twenty. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes when he spotted two axes on the youkai's belt. He stepped forward, demonstratively leaving the hand on the hilt. "One step more and I'll hack you to pieces," Inuyasha stated. When they stopped like he demanded, he continued, "What do you want?"

"Master Inuyasha, we're here on behalf of the Western Lands," the older dog demon began. "We ask you to follow us, as we cannot discuss the details here."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.

"Your liege summons you," the younger one spoke up.

"Eh?"

"Your liege is summoning you," the younger repeated, sounding impatient.

Inuyasha looked from one to the other. "What the fuck?"

The younger youkai looked insulted. "Listen, hanyou -"

The older dog demon interrupted him, not taking his eyes off Inuyasha. "That's enough, Akahito. Master Inuyasha, your brother requires your presence."

"Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked with a surprised voice.

"Yes. Your brother has sent us to bring you to him."

"Is he out of his mind?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. 

"Hanyou, watch your tongue! It's a great honor to receive a direct invitation from the Lord of the Western Lands," Akahito reprimanded.

Inuyasha found he was quickly developing a dislike for the younger youkai and his arrogant manner. "For what reason? I'm not going anywhere without knowing why."

"You'll get to know the reasons soon enough. We are not allowed to tell you, but Lord Sesshoumaru will inform you himself," Akahito said. "You're going to follow us now."

Inuyasha growled, having enough of being commanded around. "I'll do nothing of the sort."

The older spoke up before Akahito had chance to. "Master Inuyasha, this is of utmost importance. I am sorry, but you can't hear the reason from anyone else but Lord Sesshoumaru himself."

"Finely spoken, Okakura. You just have to follow the Lord's command, not question the reasoning behind it," Akahito took up the word, causing the old dog demon grimace. It looked like even the old youkai was unhappy about Akahito's choice of words.

"Shut up, you pompous bastard!" Inuyasha's already thin patience finally snapped. "If that is all you have to tell me, get lost!"

"This is no way to talk to nobility!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted. "I'm your precious Lord's brother, so who is nobility?"

"Please," Okakura tried to calm the situation, "We're not here to quarrel. Master Inuyasha, it would be better if we discussed that like civilized demons."

"I'm talking like I want to. Go tell your fucking Lord that he can kiss my butt," Inuyasha sneered, satisfied with his answer. _'If Sesshoumaru needs my help, he had better visit personally and ask me on his knees.'_

"Keep talking like that and I'll cut out your tongue," Akahito threatened.

"Try it!" Inuyasha shouted back, drawing Tetsusaiga. He noticed that his hand was shaking slightly. _'Dammit, I've not eaten enough lately.'_ It shouldn't matter, though, as long as his opponent didn't notice. To make sure, he took the sword in a both-handed grip.

Akahito took one axe in every hand. "This is my last offer of mercy."

Inuyasha laughed dryly. "You can shove your mercy up your ass."

Okakura held one hand before Akahito, indicating him to hold back. "Akahito, this is meaningless. Master Inuyasha won't let himself be forced."

"The ungrateful hanyou doesn't want to come with us anyway. I can as well teach him some respect for his elders," Akahito contradicted.

"Elders?" Inuyasha asked as incredulously as he could. "How old are you? You don't look even twenty."

"I'm almost fourty!" Akahito shouted back.

Inuyasha smirked inwardly. Teasing the bastard was exactly what he needed right now. "Only fourty? I was born sixty-five years ago, brat," he said in a bored voice.

That got him a growl from Akahito. _'Looks like I found a weak point,' _Inuyasha thought, keeping a calm face. "Aren't you too young to play with weapons? I could have hurt you," he teased, sheathing his sword demonstratively.

Akahito stormed forward, knocking Okakura's arm aside. The eyes acquired a red tinge when he slashed at Inuyasha with his axe.

Inuyasha blocked with Tetsusaiga in its sheath, surprised at his opponent's speed. The next blow was already coming, again not leaving him time to draw the sword. Forced to block that strike too, Inuyasha noticed that the second attack was stronger than the first from the stitch in his head. He noticed his vision blurring. _'Damn, I can't block him for long in my condition.'_

Keeping in mind that his friends were behind him, Inuyasha sidestepped the youkai's next blow. The axe went through the fire rat fur near his left arm. Ignoring the sensation, he used the opening and hit Akahito in the side as hard as he could. Inuyasha heard a rib cracking, causing him to smile lopsidedly. Had Tetsusaiga been unsheathed, it might have left a deep wound or even hacked Akahito in two, but that way it just knocked the youkai away.

Inuyasha wanted to relax, noticing the thrown axe closing in on him a beat too late. _'Shit.'_ He couldn't evade it anymore. But, it was thrown for a target a bit further away than him, likely because Akahito had calculated his backward flight wrong. Inuyasha stepped in, making use of the youkai's fault, and braced himself. _'Fuck!'_ he cursed inwardly when the axe hit him on the head, with the blunt side because it couldn't complete the rotation. He gulped, feeling his vision going black for a moment. _'I'm too slow!'_ he berated himself, trying to stand steady.

Akahito hit the ground with a grunt and slid backwards, but stood up without a pause, seemingly not caring for the broken rib. Inuyasha saw that his enemy had only one axe, remembering to pick up the one that had just hit him. To get one hand free, he shoved the sheath through his belt, drawing Tetsusaiga, and picked up the axe lying before him. Using his hurt arm consciously for the first time, he felt his shirt cling to the spot where the axe had cut him, soaking up the blood. The wound didn't feel too deep, although he could never tell for sure in the heat of battle. Anyway, his left arm moved considerably slower.

His opponent already charged him again. Not having time for a Kaze no Kizu, Inuyasha took a defensive stance and let himself be thrown back, to both avoid part of the blow and get space for an attack. When Akahito sprang forward, Inuyasha made a swing with his now longer sword, intending to hit his opponent before he could get close. To his dismay, his opponent blocked the attack. At least he didn't feel the blow that much, because the transformed Tetsusaiga's weight far exceeded that of the axe. 

Akahito misguided the sword's path with his axe, not taking the full force of the attack. Still, Inuyasha thought that the weapon had to be of very good quality to not simply break under Tetsusaiga's blow. The youkai attacked immediately with his smaller weapons, and Inuyasha found himself forced into defense again, not able to match the speed in his condition.

He blocked two attacks. Narrowing his eyes, he evaded a blow. Despite his opponent's speed, Inuyasha could easily read Akahito's moves. _'Block. Feint, evade. Block,'_ Inuyasha numerated mentally, following his thoughts with actions. The pattern was almost too obvious, all the youkai did was attack straight-forward. Inuyasha spun under the next attack, letting his opponent stumble because of the lack of resistance, and made a strike with all his strength, aiming at the liver. To his surprise, he didn't cut his enemy but slid off without doing harm. He noticed a change on his sword. _'Tetsusaiga is untransformed!'_

Not losing a beat, he carried on his rotation and landed a roundhouse kick on the cheekbone of Akahito. The youkai was knocked away again, taking the hit full-force because of being off-balance, and collided with a tree like the hanyou had intended. Inuyasha didn't wait, took aim and threw the axe he had picked up after Akahito. He saw that it would hit the forehead perfectly; Akahito was still dizzy from the impact.

The axe stopped before it hit. Okakura held the hilt, having caught the weapon a moment before it would have split Akahito's head. _'Damn, where did he come from?'_ Inuyasha thought. He transformed Tetsusaiga into its larger form, not having time to wonder why his sword had untransformed. He striked out for a Kaze no Kizu, but felt someone pull on his arm from behind. He was about to throw the person when he noticed it was Kagome.

"Inuyasha! Stop it!" she cried at the top of her lungs.

"No, he's -" Inuyasha dissented.

"What?" Kagome asked, sounding half-relieved.

__

'Not dead yet.' Inuyasha shook his head at the thought. "Nothing."

"I think that's enough," Okakura said. Inuyasha looked at him, seeing the underlying threat shine in the youkai's eyes.

"Next time you attack me, I won't play nice," Inuyasha threatened back.

"Is this your definition of playing nice?" Okakura asked, lowering the axe. A small runlet of blood could be seen on Akahito's forehead, making its way down to the nose.

"I just returned the favor. You rather I had not untransformed Tetsusaiga?" Inuyasha replied, hoping that they were buying his deception. "The next time you attack, I'll cleave you in two," he threatened deadly serious, looking Akahito straight in the eye. The young youkai reached up to the cut, realizing how close the axe had come to his head.

Inuyasha turned his head towards Kagome, noticing that Miroku and Sango were standing next to them. "You guys okay?" he asked, still observing the two youkai out of the corner of his eye. When Kagome nodded, he turned his head back. "If that was all, _leave_."

Akahito had recovered from his near-death experience. "Damn hanyou, I will -"

"That's enough, Akahito," Okakura interrupted, authority in his tone. "Accept your defeat with grace." He gave the axe he had caught back to his younger comrade. "Master Inuyasha, I appreciate your going easy on Akahito. Can't we convince you to come with us?"

"After that show?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. He sheathed his sword, keeping the hand on the hilt for good measure. "Try to not attack me the next time."

Okakura sighed, turning to leave. "Come, Akahito, we're in a hurry," he stated, already transforming into his dog form.

Akahito joined the other dog demon, but looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha. "This is not the last time you've seen me!"

"Don't worry, the next time will," Inuyasha replied in a flat tone.

Akahito looked back again and growled, also transforming. Inuyasha looked back coldly, memorizing the dog demon's original appearance; beside the bright eyes which were gleaming with anger now, he also remembered the smell, so he wouldn't confuse him for another dog demon. Turning abruptly, the smaller youkai headed after his bigger comrade. Being quick in their original form, running in full stride, the two were out of sight after a few seconds.

Inuyasha expelled a breath. _'Why today?'_ As if he had to add to his headache. The pain had increased, mainly because of the direct hit his head had taken, and he was noticing it, now that the adrenaline faded away. "Stupid bastards..." he grumbled. Would have been the same if they hadn't shown up at all.

"Inuyasha, what was going on?" Kagome asked. 

"You're asking the wrong person," Inuyasha replied.

"No, I'm not. You weren't responding at all. We called you, and you didn't even seem to notice," Kagome explained.

"Called me?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"So you really didn't notice..." Miroku thought out loud.

Inuyasha snorted. "So fucking what? I was occupied. Don't like axes in my forehead, you know?"

A short silence ensued. _'Damn, what happened with Okakura while I was fighting?'_ Inuyasha thought, wondering what the older youkai had done meanwhile. Why hadn't Okakura interfered sooner?

"Inuyasha, you didn't untransform Tetsusaiga consciously, did you?" Sango asked, interrupting the silence. Kagome and Miroku gave her a strange look, but she kept her face intently on the hanyou.

Inuyasha didn't answer for a second. _'Right, why did Tetsusaiga revert? Just in the middle of a fight?'_ It could have cost him his head. "No, I didn't," he finally answered.

__

'So I've guessed right,' Sango thought. The puzzle parts hadn't fit under the assumption that Inuyasha had spared his opponent, like he had stated before. The hit he had delivered to Akahito's side had been an evasion followed by a perfect counter-attack; only with an untransformed sword, as if to show Akahito that he could have killed him. But the axe Inuyasha had thrown immediately afterwards hadn't been just for appearances. The only conclusion Sango saw was that Tetsusaiga had untransformed by accident.

__

'There is another strange thing, though,' Sango thought. "You were making it up with your fighting."

"Huh?"

"Even though Tetsusaiga untransformed, you blocked all attacks single-handedly; without breaking a sweat," Sango explained. She had a trained eye, and the level of fighting Inuyasha had just shown had been very impressive. The hanyou hadn't taken long, so the others might not have noticed, but all the blocking and evading had been top notch. Alone to step in on the thrown axe had been something she wouldn't have given Inuyasha credit for. 

Once again he had allowed a glimpse at his skill, although she wasn't sure why he had done so this time, when he obviously wanted to keep it secret. Had he wanted to show off in front of the dog demons? Or was it because of his headache? Because of the hit to his head? "After you got hit with that axe, you blocked him like he was nothing. Although you say you don't like fighting like that, for just starting during this weak you're doing so quite often already."

__

'It untransformed that soon?' Inuyasha thought, surprised. He really hadn't noticed until he had hit Akahito. His concentration must have broken because of his sleepiness. That also had to be the reason why he hadn't cared with holding back. 

He suddenly noticed his sight getting blurry again. He staggered, and would have fallen again if Miroku hadn't caught him. Inuyasha lowered himself to the ground slowly, saying he needed a minute. Now that the adrenaline died away, his headache was constantly getting worse again. _'Aaaah... Fuck!'_ he cursed inwardly, holding his breath. The place where the axe had hit him was throbbing regularly with the beat of his heart.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, concerned when he had to sit down for the second time today. They had had their hands full with stopping Inuyasha and Akahito, still she felt stupid for not asking sooner. "To get hit when you already have a headache... That cut must have hurt, too?"

"I'm fine," Inuyasha responded gruffly. The cut wasn't deep and already healing, judging from the tickling sensation his flesh always provided when it healed. "Did you have problems with this Okakura?" he asked, mainly wanting to buy time for recovering.

"Actually, we guarded Kagome when he approached us, but he offered to help us with you two," Miroku said.

Inuyasha was glad that the old youkai hadn't attacked his friends. Even if he had noticed, he wasn't sure if he could have protected them all. The look Okakura had given him after catching the axe had assured Inuyasha that the older dog demon was more dangerous than Akahito by far. Now it looked like Miroku was siding with Okakura, also pushing the guilt on him. "Keh! Wasn't me who started the fight!" Inuyasha defended himself. 

He was met with silence.

Inuyasha grumbled and stood up, folding his arms over his chest. "Anyway, nobody got hurt. Let's continue." 

* * * * *

Kaede's village was finally in sight. "Looks like we made it," Kagome said cheerfully. She tried to make out something unusual, but everything looked normal. There weren't many villagers on the streets, because of the late time. They were carrying torches; the sun had gone down twenty minutes ago. Kagome couldn't help but smile at the sight and the prospect of the holiday which Inuyasha had implied. She could hardly wait to finally sleep in a bed again or have a hot bath.

Everyone was tired, so they headed straight for Kaede's hut once they had reached the village. They got a warm welcome by the old woman. Kagome gave a quick narration of the happenings, leaving out Inuyasha's memory gap and his lack of sleep. Kaede seemed concerned when she heard of Inuyasha's headache, but the hanyou didn't want to discuss it. Miroku and Sango looked at each other, contemplating what to tell Kaede about their forming relationship, but ended up not revealing it yet. Their friends also kept quiet, thinking that it was for them to tell her, or that Kaede would notice soon enough anyway.

"So you have found more Shikon shards?" Kaede asked.

"Yes, the magpie in the mining village had two," Kagome agreed.

Kaede nodded. "That's two less shards to worry about."

The old woman stood up. "I'll be leaving you alone now," she announced, heading for her sleeping room. "You all have to be tired."

Kagome stood up, too. "Well, I'm out of here."

"Oi, where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha cut in.

"Home," Kagome stated simply, exiting the room. She took her backpack with her on her way out, shouldering it on the move.

"Absolutely not!" Inuyasha jumped up and ran after her, catching up on her outwards.

"You said we would have a free day. I want to have a bath. I want to sleep in my bed. I want to get a good dinner and a breakfast," Kagome argued. "And there's no reason why I shouldn't."

"Why do you always want to leave as soon as we get here?"

"I just told you!" Kagome shot back. "Why do you want to keep me here?"

"I - I'm... Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, folding his hands before his chest. "I'll sleep better without having to watch out for you, anyway!"

Kagome was about to return the insult, when she remembered the question she had wanted to ask when they reached the village. "Will you?" she asked, turning around.

Inuyasha felt his face turning red, surprised and angry at Kagome's statement. _'What is she trying to say? That I can't sleep without her?'_ Did she think he was weak, or needed to be lulled into sleep?

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep this night? Do you still feel... awkward?" Kagome asked when Inuyasha didn't answer.

Inuyasha's anger dissolved when he understood what she wanted to know. Actually, after fighting the dog demons, he had hoped that the uneasy feeling had been because of them, and that he would feel better. But, it hadn't helped. In retrospective, it was only clear; he wouldn't have sensed them two days ahead. "No, not really," he finally admitted.

"Maybe you could sleep better in my time?" Kagome asked.

"What? I mean -"

"Maybe you could need a change of surroundings?" Kagome clarified, guessing what Inuyasha thought.

"A change..." Inuyasha trailed off. "With all your weird future stuff?"

"It's worth a try, isn't it. If you can't sleep, the well is only a few steps away from the house. And I'm sure that even you will like a comfortable bed."

Inuyasha froze. "Are you inviting me?"

Kagome nodded, looking encouraging.

He paused for a moment. "I'll go take Tetsusaiga... Left it in the hut."

Kagome watched the back of the retreating hanyou. He had appeared surprised for a second, but quickly covered it up. She hoped that he would really be able to rest in her time.

She remembered his threatened look again. Something tightened in her chest. _'Have I hurt him that much? It was only a sit.'_ Inuyasha hadn't talked about it later, but she knew that didn't mean much. _'I didn't know, darn it! Because you never tell me, you idiot!'_

How was she supposed to know the she would seriously hurt him with a sit? She couldn't read minds, much less Inuyasha's. He had acted normal around her since then, but the memory remained; his guarded gaze, how he had stepped away from her when she tried to steady him. She gulped, turning around to walk for the well. She really hoped that she could make it up by helping him with his headache and his sleeping problem.

Inuyasha headed back, still surprised. He had gone over to Kagome's house a few times already, but he had always invited himself and never stayed for long, feeling a bit like invading other's property. This was the first time that Kagome had actively asked him to come to her time. Why, all of a sudden? _'Am I that pitiful?'_ Inuyasha snorted at the thought.

He reached the hut. He entered and found Shippou clinging to Tetsusaiga, fallen asleep over guarding it. Kirara was also there; Miroku and Sango had left. "Oi, Shippou, I need my sword," he said, giving the sleeping fox a nudge.

Shippou gave up the sword and looked up to Inuyasha's face. "Is Kagome really going to her time?"

"Yeah, couldn't stop her, as usual," Inuyasha answered, pushing Tetsusaiga through his belt. "I'm going with her, she said she has something that could help my headache." That was true, in a wide sense, and it was all he wanted Shippou and also the others to know.

Shippou nodded drowsily, a peevish expression on his face.

Inuyasha exited and headed for the well. Kagome had already preceded there, judging from her disappearance and the trail that led into the direction of the well. _'Maybe to get rid of her backpack?'_ he thought, not understanding why she hadn't waited for him.

He had finished half the way when he noticed someone in the forest. Was everyone approaching against the wind today? He stalked nearer, until he noticed that it was only Sango.

"What are you doing here? Where is Miroku?"

"Miroku's in the village. And I'm returning the first question," Sango answered.

"Me? I'm going with Kagome."

Sango nodded, keeping silent. They stood opposite of each other, neither moving a fraction. 

"Is this about Miroku?" Inuyasha asked. "I only made fun, dammit. You two fit together, so would you cut it already?"

Even the wind seemed to die down. Sango smiled for a second. Inuyasha already wanted to go past her, when she asked, "Inuyasha, is there someone after us?"

Inuyasha didn't know what to answer. "Why do you think that?" he asked, although it must have been rather obvious for Sango to find out.

"I've been thinking about your impatience and your tension lately. I first thought it was because of new moon, but with this day's events, I've reevaluated things. It's almost as if you've been running away."

"I wasn't running away," Inuyasha stated and contemplated what to tell her. He guessed he could as well stick to the truth, Sango had guessed part of it on her own already. "I wanted to make it to the village."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. I don't know what I'm uneasy about." 

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I tried to track it, but with no success," Inuyasha admitted. He sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm not just overreacting. Maybe all I need is some sleep."

"Hmm." That led to the other thing she wanted to talk about. "Inuyasha, how are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Sango shook her head. Before, he had unintentionally provided another stone for the puzzle, admitting he wasn't sleeping well. "I don't believe that this is all. I've seen people act like you before. People with sleeping problems. With lack of concentration. Aggressiveness. Not admitting their problems. These were people who lost family and their home to youkai, or faced other horrific events. Inuyasha, you act a lot like some of them were."

Sango paused a moment, but when he didn't answer, she continued, "If there is something troubling you, don't keep it to yourself forever."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Sango nodded. Thinking that there was nothing else to say, she walked past him. 

"Sango?" she heard Inuyasha behind her. 

"Yes?"

"Watch your back."

"Always."

Without further words, both headed their own way. 

* * * * *

Kagome waited, sitting on the edge of the well, wondering why Inuyasha was taking so long. When she already contemplated going back to search for him, he finally appeared in the clearing. "Ready to go?" she asked when he reached her. He just nodded, and they jumped down the well together.

When the light had faded away, Kagome saw the shrine above herself instead of the evening sky, indicating that the time travel had worked. Inuyasha picked her up and jumped them both out of the well. He nodded curtly when she thanked him for his help. 

Kagome went ahead, impatient to finally be back after two long weeks. "We'll have to tell mum that you need a bed."

Inuyasha stopped on her statement, reminded about Kagome's family. He didn't want to make unnecessary trouble. It also meant that he would have to greet Kagome's mom. Souta would likely nag him for at least an hour, when all he wanted was some sleep. 

Kagome noticed that the hanyou had stopped behind her. "Come on, don't be shy."

Inuyasha felt anger building again inside of him. Everyone was treating him strange. Kagome thought that she had to help him. Sango told him that he should talk to someone. Everyone was treating him like an idiot. He didn't need that. "I'll sleep on the Goshinboku," he announced, trying to keep his voice even.

"Inuyasha? Why don't you sleep inside?"

"I don't want to chatter with everyone right now. And, I think good old Goshinboku is exactly the right sleeping place." It would be a shame to miss his favorite tree when he had only come back after a weeklong journey. He had always slept well on the old tree; fifty years in the past and in the present, and thought it would also be like that fivehundred years in the future. If he could sleep somewhere, it surely was this tree. If Kagome's future trick wouldn't work out, he'd just try it again in the present, but he wanted to try if he really slept better in Kagome's time.

"It would only take a second," Kagome assured.

"I'll do that stuff tomorrow. Kagome, I really do not have the nerve for that today." Inuyasha turned around and leapt up the robust tree. 

"Fine, have your way," Kagome said, feeling a bit like her help wasn't appreciated. "See you tomorrow, then."

"Good night, Kagome," Inuyasha yawned, already closing his eyes.

Kagome quietly opened the door and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her, noticing that her family was talking in the kitchen. She stepped out of her shoes and quietly went though the house. She was tired herself, so she could partially understand why Inuyasha had wanted to stay outside; they wouldn't leave her alone for a while. _'And, it's not his family, after all,'_ she thought with a sad frown.

She entered the kitchen, seeing that her family was eating late supper on the kitchen table. They all were surprised and happy to see her back. "Kagome, where have you been for so long? You've been gone for more than two weeks!" her grandfather wanted to know.

Kagome quickly said that they had been following a youkai, not wanting to tell her family a long story, being tired herself. "If you go outside, please be quiet, Inuyasha's sleeping on the Goshinboku."

"Inuyasha is here?" Souta exclaimed excitedly.

"Why is he sleeping outside?" her mother asked simultaneously.

"You stay here, Souta. I invited him over here, but he meant that he wants to rest in the sacred tree," Kagome explained, trying to answer them both. "He's very tired, and I thought that he could rest better in a bed, but once we got here, he decided that he liked the Goshinboku better."

"I'll go outside with you, Kagome. Maybe I can persuade him." The woman turned towards her son and Kagome's grandfather. "And you two stay here." Souta would only nag Inuyasha, and the old man wouldn't be much better, either.

"Aww, come on, Asami, why me, too?" Kagome's grandfather groused. "I know a lot about demons!"

The two ignored him and left the kitchen, heading for the front yard.

"I think Inuyasha is just being stubborn," Kagome admitted.

"Why do you think that?" Asami asked her daughter.

"I shouldn't have called him shy; he didn't want to hear of sleeping inside afterwards," Kagome explained. "Well, he also said that he's too tired to deal with Souta."

"I'm sure I can talk him out of it," Asami assured.

Kagome nodded, although she had her doubts.

They reached the door and went outside, but found Inuyasha already asleep. He had one arm folded over his stomach, the other was hanging down, like his feet. "Talk about a quick sleeper," Asami joked quietly.

"Hmm." Kagome didn't know if she could agree with her mother. "Looks like he will sleep outside." 

* * * * *

Sesshoumaru cracked his neck, causing the bones to pop. All the preparations and planning was very demanding, and didn't have the relaxing side-effects of a real fight. It was weeks since this whole mess started, and all it did was getting bigger.

He noticed Jaken step into the room. It actually was a cavern, but worked on with such skill that this term seemed hardly fitting. It had served as throne room for hundreds of years, and the walls were filled with paintings and other evidence of all the Lords of the Western Lands before him. He let his eyes drift over his father's name. _'Seibunishi.'_ After this name, the place was clear. It would be up to him to fill it.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Okakura and Akahito have arrived," the toad announced.

"Send them in."

Jaken left and a moment later the two demons entered. Both got down to one knee, bowing their head. After a second, the formal greeting was finished, and they both rose. Okakura took up the word. "Lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha declined your invitation."

"Would have been the first time that I could have relied on my half-brother," Sesshoumaru sneered. He could have used good news for a change. "Why didn't he come?"

"He said that he wouldn't move without reason, and that your highness should visit him yourself," Okakura related Inuyasha's reasoning, not using the exact words.

"I cannot leave this place now!" Sesshoumaru growled. "And I cannot have word of this spreading."

"We tried to convey that to the hanyou," Akahito explained. "But he didn't listen."

Sesshoumaru waved with his hand. "You are dismissed. Okakura, stay for a moment."

Akahito bowed deeply and left as requested.

Okakura looked behind and listened until he was sure that the younger youkai was out of hearing range. "What is it, Sessh?"

Sesshoumaru ignored the nickname as always, although he couldn't afford to have that known. He knew that Okakura wanted to keep up a sense of common bond, so as long he didn't use it in publicity, he accepted it from someone even his father had considered an important ally. "What is your opinion?"

"About Inuyasha?" When Sesshoumaru nodded, Okakura continued. "He listened us out, but as soon as we mentioned your name, I was sure that he wouldn't agree. He got into a quarrel with Akahito afterwards; the youngster was irritated by Inuyasha's generous use of swearwords. I let Akahito have his way, when there was nothing else to be gained, I thought I could at least see how far Inuyasha has grown. Anyway, he caught that Akahito doesn't like his age mentioned and teased him a bit."

"He found that out?" Sesshoumaru asked in a neutral tone. Akahito's desire to act like a full-grown adult had become well-known to the high-ranking, but beside them nobody knew about that habit. Since his parents had died a few months ago, Akahito had tried to take up the responsibilities of his father, even if he was too young. If Okakura hadn't decided to help him out, he would have likely lost most of his possession, if not his life.

Some rumored that Okakura showed weakness and did all that out of charity, but Sesshoumaru knew better. The only reason was to busy himself and gain himself yet another favor; he liked to be involved in important tasks. For now, the old youkai seemed content with his role as custodian; and if his earlier encounters with Okakura were any hint, it should stay that way for some time. Although, he also knew from personal experience that the old youkai could change his mind from one day to the other. "I guess Akahito didn't hesitate long," he said, turning his attention back to the discussion.

Okakura nodded. "Yes, Akahito attacked. I only told his companions that I would separate them, so they wouldn't interfere. Gave me a fine opportunity to see Inuyasha fight."

"And?"

"I don't know where you got the opinion that the youth can't fight, Sessh, but I have to disagree on that one. In the beginning it really looked like that, Inuyasha didn't even have time to draw his weapon and only beat Akahito away with the sheathed sword like with a stick. Not nice to see Toutousai's Tetsusaiga abused in such a way." Okakura grimaced at the memory.

"He does it all the time," Sesshoumaru commented, trying to not sound cynical.

"Well, Akahito was knocked away, but threw one axe and managed to hit Inuyasha on the head, although your brother managed to get hit only by the blunt side. Then came a sword stroke that Akahito easily deflected, unwieldy and clumsy." 

Sesshoumaru grimaced, till now everything sounded fit for his brother. He had given up on acquiring Tetsusaiga; the barrier made it completely useless for every full demon. In the long run, he wouldn't use a human arm or the Shikon no Tama, so the Tetsusaiga didn't concern him any longer. But in his opinion it was still too good for the hands of the hanyou. "And when comes the parts where he treats the blade like it deserves?"

"Actually, he untransformed Tetsusaiga to spare Akahito, so I can't tell you about that," Okakura answered. "Anyway, from then on, Inuyasha fought differently. He blocked and evaded with almost no effort. I tell you, the kid read all of Akahito's moves beforehand. He finished everything with a hinted cut to the side, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent Akahito against a tree, and threw the axe he had picked up at the stunned. And the throw was very good, I almost didn't make it; the axe even left a small cut. If I hadn't caught it, it could have split Akahito's head in two."

"Are you sure you aren't exaggerating?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know, hardly believing what he was hearing. The old youkai had a gift for guessing his opponents strength, likely the reason why he still was alive. He rarely lost a fight and, also because of his age, some even called him immortal. He knew that Okakura was able to assess a fight, but he also knew that he liked to exaggerate the role he was playing. 

Sesshoumaru was one of the few who knew that being perceptive was the biggest strength of Okakura. Actually, the old demon wasn't an overly strong fighter. Most of his reputation was based on appearances, he knew how to look more dangerous than he actually was. He fought the fights he could win and made them well-known, and he knew how to avoid the battles he knew he couldn't win, or let someone else fight them. He had made friends with many powerful youkai; even Seibunishi had sometimes been in the debt of the cunning demon. Many had been in the debt of Okakura at some point of time, and the old youkai always had someone who owed him a favor and whom he could ask for help. In a time like this, Sesshoumaru couldn't turn down the help of someone that experienced. "Are you really thinking that Inuyasha was _playing _with Akahito?"

Okakura gave a lopsided smile. "Believe me, Sessh, in my five hundred years I've seen more fights than enough to assess that. I admit I was actually surprised that he didn't back down and threw the axe. Inuyasha had untransformed his sword to save the life of his opponent, as every dog youkai would in a fight like that one, but then he really tried to kill Akahito. I really don't know what he was thinking, that's the only thing that's unsettling me a bit."

Sesshoumaru grumbled, still not completely believing that he would have failed to see all that in Inuyasha. He contemplated if the old youkai might be fooling or even betraying him. Okakura was old and sly and didn't hinder himself with pride or honor like most dog demons, what made it hard to guess what he was thinking. Still, he couldn't think of a reason why the old youkai should lie about Inuyasha's strength. "It looks like we will fight this war without the bastard," he concluded finally.

Jaken entered the room again. "Lord Sesshoumaru, we've got word from the northern territory! They think they've found a lead."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Take care of that, Okakura."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru." Okakura bowed and left. Jaken ran after him, seemingly also having a message for the old youkai.

Sesshoumaru thought about the old youkai's words. Okakura had advised to try getting Inuyasha on their side, so he had let the old youkai have a try, although he had ordered that he would talk to Inuyasha himself. Sesshoumaru was sure that Okakura had done what he could, not liking when one of his ideas failed. If the old youkai said that Inuyasha wouldn't have joined, he agreed that letting Akahito fight with his brother had been at least a small compensation.

That brought his thoughts back to his half-brother. Okakura had said that Inuyasha had easily defeated his opponent. Sesshoumaru knew that Akahito was still young, but he seemed promising. Some wondered about his strange choice of weapons, but the same had been true for his family; Akahito had learned that style from his father, and refused to retrain. Although young, Akahito wasn't a bad fighter; at least, that was what Sesshoumaru had heard, of course he had never bothered to spar with Akahito himself.

The beginning of the fight's description had been exactly like he would have imagined a fight between the two, but later it had gotten unexpected. _'Have you been fooling me, Inuyasha?'_ When he himself had fought Inuyasha, he had never noticed anything beside determination. Had it all been an act? To keep acting clumsy when fighting him, Sesshoumaru, was something that he couldn't comprehend. Where had been the advantage in this?

He remembered how Inuyasha had powered up every time he had endangered the female. Did the hanyou fail to perceive him as threat to his own life? Sesshoumaru growled at the insult. He would find out what was going on in their next encounter. _'Well, for now I have more important matters demanding my attention,' _he thought, forcing his thoughts away from his despicable half-brother. _'I hope they won't take too long.'_

* * * * *

Akahito waited outside, leaning against a wall. He tried to guess what Sesshoumaru wanted to discuss with Okakura, but as always the two were secretive and didn't give him any clues. He wondered if his mentor would tell the aspiring lord about the fight. _'I hope that won't make problems?'_ If so, he would have to explain how Inuyasha had declined Sesshoumaru's invitation, even insulting his youkai brother.

From the beginning, he hadn't liked Inuyasha's guts. Using such crude language in the presence of him and Okakura was only the beginning. Every sane youkai would have followed, but the hanyou had turned the invitation down like nothing.

Akahito shook his head. If he received a direct invitation, he would know what an honor he was receiving. If Okakura didn't insist that he also joined their meetings, he might not have seen Sesshoumaru personally at all until now. He didn't make himself any illusions; in most of their meetings, he was just a passive bystander. The happenings a few minutes ago were a good example; Sesshoumaru had requested him to leave after not even a minute. He was working hard nonetheless to show that he could be trusted with important work and deserved the trust Okakura placed in him. Inuyasha didn't any of that and still would have gotten a private meeting, and had the nerve to turn it down.

__

'If I had only been able to teach the bastard the lesson he deserves!' Akahito thought, a growl escaping him. He hoped that word wouldn't spread that he had lost to a mere hanyou; both being spared and having to be saved was humiliating. Till now, only Okakura and him knew; and maybe Sesshoumaru, although he guessed that he would never get to know that. And Inuyasha and his pack, of course. Anyway, his secret should be rather save.

He would have to train more, so he wouldn't fall for Inuyasha's tricks the next time. He had almost gotten him twice; once at the arm and once with his throw. A little more, and he would beat the hanyou. He grabbed an axe, balancing it in his hand. Sooner or later, they would meet again, and he would be prepared._ 'I'm going to make you crawl on the ground!'_ he thought, hacking at the air.

He saw Okakura rounding the corner and come into his direction. He quickly placed the axe back on his belt and waited for the old youkai to reach him. "What did Lord Sesshoumaru tell you?" he asked, evident in his voice that he didn't really expect an answer.

Okakura gave him a toothy grin and the same answer as every time. "I'd have to kill you if I told you."

Akahito followed when Okakura took the lead. "What have you learned today, Akahito?" Okakura asked.

"To not let my feelings cloud my judgement?" Akahito replied after a while.

"You learned more than that," Okakura answered. "You also learned to never underestimate your opponent. You thought that Inuyasha is weaker than you because he is a half-youkai. If you fight someone, do it wholeheartedly and with a clear head."

Akahito nodded, not liking the fact that Okakura was right. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Also, treat your opponents with respect. Anger will only distract you; disdain will only bring you somebody's hostility. You need to make levelheaded decisions if you wish to take your father's position one day," Okakura said, watching the young youkai who didn't seem to like being lectured. Akahito wasn't unlike Sesshoumaru in earlier years, also not liking when he was right about something. 

"Should I have encouraged his behavior?" Akahito asked, trying to justify his actions. "And called him _Master_?" He knew that the last question was rude towards Okakura, but he didn't care.

"The way you treated him wasn't much different from the way he treated you, even if his words lacked refinement. It can only help you to be polite to the people you want something from. Stupid pride is not going to bring you anywhere. I hoped that appealing to Inuyasha's pride would catch him, that's why I called him Master," Okakura explained. "Do you honestly think I meant that for real?" he asked incredulously, shoving the young youkai his naivety under his nose.

Akahito held his gaze. "I still don't understand why we didn't simply drag him here."

"Of course I could have easily forced Inuyasha, but to what end? If you force someone, he'll only work with you as long as you keep watch on him. We don't have time for that. A few words are sometimes easier to use than pressure." Okakura stopped, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes. "When you force someone, make sure that you win the fight."

__

'That's what I'm planning,' Akahito thought, pressing his lips together. _'Curse Inuyasha and his luck.'_ The next time, he wouldn't stumble over his own legs. "I'll remember that."

"Better remember all of what I've said," Okakura added. "You've got a sharp tongue; use it once in a while, instead of fighting losing battles."

Akahito scratched the back of his head. "So, what do we do now?"

"We pay the Northern Territories a visit," Okakura answered.

"What are we going to do there?"

Okakura only smirked, providing no answer.

* * *

Well, these were my first Original Characters. Most of the tweaking time was spent on them, I think I got the two distinctive enough to stand on their own legs. I guess their introduction was a bit strange, but there wasn't much I could do under these circumstances. They aren't really major characters, but comments and criticism on the two is really welcome!


	18. Chapter 17: Colony

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

  
**Author Rantings :**  
Back again. Here's the new chapter, finally. Sorry for the late update, but I didn't have time to write much in the last few months. I wasn't entirely lazy, but more on that later. 

Anyway, the story goes on. Actually, since almost a year - I began around Christmas last year. I hope I could stand out a bit of all those thousands of fics that were started since then. I'm doing my best, but in the end, this is for you to judge. :) So far, the last chapter received the most reviews ever - more than thirty. The comments about my OCs were very encouraging, also that people kept telling me that they were hoping for updates. I hope I don't appear ungrateful - I really tried my best to finish this chapter as soon as possible, but I admit that it took (too) long.

A small comment I want to make: I don't speak Japanese, but I'm rather sure that _Inutaisho_ is more a rank than a real name, so I won't use it as the latter. Also, I took over the name from the White Dog and I've also seen it like this in other good fics, so there are at least some good authors seeing this matter like me. It won't play a big role in my story, but I wanted to clear up this misunderstanding.

Finally, to make up for the long wait, I have a small surprise at the end of the story, for the ones patient enough to read the notes at the end. :)

The title epigraph is from **In Flames**.

  
**Reviews revisited :**

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Anandria - Thanks for your opinion about Okakura. I tried to not make him another useless character whose glory is made clear by much praise from Sesshoumaru. I have to admit, I almost stumbled into this trap in the beginning, but when I noticed what I was doing I made him more like a dangerous ally than a friend. I'm not exactly sure what reminds you of Kaede, though. ;) Maybe it's his age, or the way he carries himself?

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KaGoMe39 - I guess I took my time, but I hope I will continue to write stuff that is more... interesting. ;)

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Mink - If last chapter was a Thanksgiving Present, I guess this is one for Christmas ;) Actually, I didn't even know what Thanksgiving was about until a friend told me a few weeks ago. About my OCs, yes, they should cause trouble later, I'm just not sure how much yet (much or very much?).

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Holly - I guess I had you waiting for quite some time. Thanks for all the encouragement, sadly I really didn't have time to respond with more story immediately. But I did my best as soon as I had some time again. I guess every writer runs into this problem sooner or later, but I'm sure there are some who deal with it better than me. I just can't concentrate when I have something else I should be doing.  
Anyway, I actually have a similar stance to yours towards Kagome. I also think she is a spoilt brat, and I try to retain that part while not making her annoying. I don't hate her and try to be fair, and I'm not sure if she isn't sometimes acting too grown-up (and non-spoilt) in my story, but I don't want to write a story about little princess in feudal Japan. Anyway, interesting that you think like this - most people I met seem to identify with Kagome very well... Hope to hear from you!

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Admiral Biatch - LOL, what you said is quite true, sadly. After 130.000 words, I'm still on the start... But I'm finally progressing towards the middle part. I have tried to speed up my writing a bit, but it doesn't seem to work as well as I hoped. *shrugs* Well, I guess that's me...

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Cataluna - Nice to hear from you again! I liked your review, your comment about my OCs was encouraging, as well as the line of Inuyasha you mentioned. Especially thanks for your tip - I did change from "butt" to "ass". ;)

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Anrui Lowe - Cool that I could get through your sleepy condition. :) I guess your homework is done by now, and that the teachers have some mercy cause of Christmas. Thanks for you encouragement, especially for my Original Characters. To tell the truth, I think they are too under-developed to shine out yet, but I hope that I'll be able to change that sooner or later.

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Misao CG - Another of my first readers calling in! Nice to hear from you; I hope that you like this chapter, although it's more for build up this time.

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Hakusan - Good that I was able to get some interest for my characters - introducing a new one is harder than using the ones everyone knows.

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Dauq - Thanks a lot again for your review! It was really a surprise :) I guess I said most in the E-Mail, so I don't want to repeat myself, but that one was really inspiring. I hope that my fight scenes will continue to be interesting, but although I also do martial arts, I don't have too many in my story. Anyway, if you have some stories online, too, you'll have to tell me where I can read them. I like to look around a bit when someone is able to express herself that well in a review.

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Lady Wolf Moon - Hi, nice that you drop in again! I see you have some experience with OCs, so you also know the pitfalls. I avoided some of them only closely, or at least I'm hoping so. Well, that's how it goes, everyone has to learn some time ;)

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Daniel Gudman - Thanks for your cool review. I guess there are some ideas used in the White Dog, as well. I think amnesia as I use it also falls under psychic trauma, but it's luckily not the same. Thanks for your tips about mentor characters; actually I didn't want to use Sesshoumaru or someone else as the great informant - or rather, I couldn't, because no one knows about Inuyasha. About the other part of your review, I always wanted to include some politic plot, but I'll give it another direction, in which Inuyasha is playing a different role. I guess beside the fact that the White Dog also uses this elements, there are no similarities.  
Thanks for the info about the Sengoku perdiod's political structure, you actually gave me an idea (which I can't tell yet ;)). As I'm intending it now, Sesshoumaru is a bit like the Emperor, whose underlings like to plot for themselves, too. He's not dethroned, so for now, it's more like monarchy than oligarchy. 

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Renangel - Sesshoumaru will get more important later on, but for now it was only the start of his sideplot. I wanted to make Akahito a bit narrow-minded, and I think it worked out. It obviously like Okakura better; although I initially tried to make him less likeable, his sneaky way seems to catch some interest. I'm not planning to fill this story with pointless OCs, instead I hope to manage with a few characters with developed personalities. :)

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Crystal Twilight - I hope you like this chapter, too - although the plot is getting more serious, I tried to include a few humorous scenes, as well. No OCs, this time ;)

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Melissa - Cool that my story could excite you :) I'll try my best to keep it interesting, although some chapters are more calm than others.

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Nevets309 - I'm glad you liked my story. Hope the wait wasn't too long ;)

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Kenny-D - LOL, I guess reading everything in one go really takes long. Although I never really realize it, it is already one of the longest stories around - I'm not sure if I've ever read a 100.000 words story in one go. I guess, rather not. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement.

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ArtemisMoon - Thanks again for your honest review, and that you made the effort of writing it after reading the story a day ago. I'm too lazy for that, sometimes :) A final comment, I think interaction is a more complicated part of the topic characterization, because it's not as static and defined. If one character changes or is only absent, the circumstances for the whole group change, too. It's sometimes hard to keep track of the reactions of all the characters towards each other.  
Well, don't want to bore you, so I only add that I hope to read from you again. Always good to get a honest opinion. Maybe also to find someone who's not biting you for receiving it ;)

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Sitrielle - I'm glad you like it. If you have some tips or find a scene off, please tell me about it. I always like to receive criticism and become aware of things I could improve. Anyway, I hope to hear more from you :)

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mYsTicAL dRe4M - I didn't know about Thanksgiving (we don't have that holiday here), so I sadly had no time to update back then. Anyway, I guess it's good that my writing is good enough to get you impatient. ;)

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Rabid-chipmunk - I'll keep on writing, but I couldn't add much IY/Kag stuff yet. I have a few ideas for later, though. For now, I hope that the story continues to catch your interest. 

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Rk - Here's the next chapter. No need to hunt me down! (Yet ;))

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Tsu-chan - Wow, all time favorite. Thanks for that much praise :) Is this year near future?

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Avelera - Thanks for your comment about the name of IY's and Sessh's dad, but I actually believe that Inutaisho isn't his name. I read Inutaisho in many fics, but somehow I never got convinced it is really a name. Anyway, if you're sure of the opposite, please tell me.

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ejqHorseLady - It reads like you got sucked in by my story. I guess that's good :) It doesn't happen to me often, but if it does, it is always a cool experience.

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Gatogirl1 - He, thanks for your nice review. I hope I finally made it on a few favorites list, if you found my fic that way. I guess my writing style doesn't fit with everyone, because of my attention for detail the plot progresses slowly sometimes. Anyway, hope you'll continue to like my story :)

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Strangerthanthough - Hai, hai, I'm continuing this ;) I'm sorry I made it over the months mark this time, but sooner wasn't possible. I'll try to do more during the holidays; I'll see how far I get...

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HMPrune - If you only started to read this story, the wait shouldn't have been too long for you. Hope you'll like the chapter.

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Shatteredjade - Well, I hope to make Inuyasha's past distinctive and interesting enough. I haven't read something too similar with my story, yet, so I think I'm doing quite well.

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Demented-squirrel - Yes, I made it over two months without update this time. Sorry... I'm glad that you think that this has manga flair - I always hoped to capture its spirit somehow. Your guesses for the plot were interesting, but I already have my own plans for Inuyasha and the group. And good thing is, I'm finally getting there soon :) 

  
**Disclaimer :**  
If I owned Inuyasha, I'd probably have more money, and time to spend on writing... 

  
****

Special thanks to :  
First and foremost, to _Xue_ for drawing me the banner. You helped me out greatly, with something I'm completely unable to do myself.  
Also, I'm glad that _Merith_ was able to beta this chapter. Even if my English is getting better, there are still enough things I'm learning every time.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

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In your world,  
the day is no threat  


****

Colony

Inuyasha woke up, gradually noticing that he was in the forest. Without leaving the comfortable position yet, he looked around, not remembering how he had gotten there. The sun was already up in the sky; it looked like it was late morning. A few birds were still chirping, but most had already stopped their daily routine. When his gaze wandered over the lake, he recalled that he had examined his eye there yesterday. With that, the last evening's events returned. _'Right, I had a fight with the miners.'_ He straightened himself, bristling at the memory. He reached up to his neck, unconsciously touching the spot where they had almost strangled him.

He pushed the memory away and climbed down the tree, jumping the last meters. His mother usually reprimanded him when he jumped down too far, but she wasn't there right now, so he didn't care. He landed safely, assuring him again that she was only overcautious. He breathed in after his landing and noticed that it caused him pain. His throat felt sore, although he had noticed nothing yesterday. "No," he murmured, more to test his voice than anything else, but it sounded like usual, at least to him.

He was thirsty because he hadn't drunken yesterday evening. He turned towards the lake; he could see now that the water looked crystal-clear, safe to drink. He actually didn't believe that drinking out of puddles was bad, but others had laughed at him when he did, so he had given up on it. He walked over to the lake and kneeled down at the shore. Scooping water with his hand, he drank from the clear water. It tasted fresh and he was thirsty, so he continued to drink until he felt sated.

He stepped into the shallow water and crouched down, wanting to see the reason for his stay in the forest. "Yes, it's away!" he exclaimed excitedly when the water finally stilled - the black eye had vanished. He moved his hand to his face and also felt that the bruise had vanished when he touched the spot; it no longer hurt. 

__

'What are you laughing about?' he suddenly thought, noticing the grin vanish on his mirror image. His mother would still be mad, even if she didn't find any evidence for his brawl. She had to be up by now and would surely scold him for staying out all night. He hadn't thought about that yesterday. "Why didn't I wake up earlier!?" he cursed at himself. He stood up abruptly, turning into the direction of his home, and started to run. Would she be lenient if he hurried?

He noticed how far he had actually been into the woods by the time it took him to make it back to the village. He had never been out that far in the forest, much less alone. Had he really run that far? He tried to recall, but yesterday's events appeared like in a blur - he only remembered fleeing from the miners, but couldn't even guess how far he had run. He wondered what would happen if he saw the two again. He would be on his guard.

He didn't care much for the adults, most of them didn't like him or care for him, anyway. What was more important to him that things returned to normal with the other children. Would they stay mad for long? He clenched his fist at the thought of Shiori; the girl seemed to hate him ever since her father had been killed.

__

'It's not my fault!' he exclaimed mentally. At least his mother had told him that. But why was everyone angry with him, then? He had told them that the attack hadn't been because of him, but they hadn't believed him because he hadn't been able to tell them why. He should ask his mother again, so he could explain the next time.

The village finally came into view. Inuyasha stopped for a second, hesitating to enter. If he went that way, he would have to go through the village; his house was on the other end. He turned, making a detour through the forest to approach the village from the other side. _'This is stupid,'_ he told himself, but looked out to stay deep enough in the forest to not be seen.

He finally made it to the other side. He hesitated again, looking out for people from the shadows of the woods. The streets looked empty; it should be safe. He stepped into view and walked to his house as fast as he could. He hoped that no one would see or hear him, usually there was more activity in the village this late in the morning.

"Inuyasha?" he heard his mother from the inside, sounding something between hopeful and desperate. He gulped, bracing himself.

"Inuyasha!" Ayako cried when she saw him. She rushed to him and fell to her knees, embracing her son. "Inuyasha! Thank goodness!"

"Haha-ue?" Inuyasha asked cautiously, confused by her behavior. She didn't seem to take notice, though.

"Inuyasha! Where have you been? " She moved out of the embrace, her face looking angry all of a sudden. "Don't ever do that again! Ever, you hear me!?" She hugged him again, not leaving him time to answer. "I thought that - Are you all right? Where?"

"Haha-ue, I'm okay," Inuyasha answered, not knowing what was the right thing to answer. She continued to speak, saying things he couldn't make sense of. _'What is that about?'_ he thought, letting it wash over him. She finally let go of him, and he saw from her face that she wanted a good explanation.

"Inuyasha, where have you been?"

"In the forest," he answered truthfully, hoping against hope that she would accept it.

"Where exactly?" Ayako pressed.

"I don't know. There was a clearing and a lake... I could find the place again if you want me to."

"Why, Inuyasha?" Ayako asked, sounding mystified. "Why were you at a lake in the forest?"

Inuyasha didn't know what to answer. Would she be angry? She had told him not to brawl. And she already _was_ angry with him. _'But it wasn't me who started!'_ he thought to himself. But would she care? "I was bored because I woke up early. Were you worried?"

"Inuyasha, you have no idea," she muttered, keeping her eyes on him. "I searched the whole village for you, but nobody had seen you. They said that..." Her voice broke, causing Inuyasha to look at his kneeling mother in surprise.

__

'What's wrong?' He had never heard her sounding like that. "Haha-ue, I only played in the forest," he lied, trying to reassure her.

"Inuyasha, there has been another attack," Ayako began. "Three more miners have been killed, and when I didn't find you anywhere, I thought -" She stopped and embraced him again. "The villagers said that the youkai must have... I thought that -" She didn't speak further and hugged him to her again. 

  


* * * * *

  
Inuyasha looked out of the window. There weren't many people on the streets, it looked like they were afraid of another attack. It was already late afternoon; his mother had told him to stay in the house, so time had passed slowly. He had thought a lot about what had been happening lately, but hadn't come up with a conclusion.

The thought that was plaguing him the most was if he was to be blamed for the attacks. His mother had said it wasn't his fault, but everyone else seemed to think it was. And, hadn't the youkai said that he attacked the village because of him? But why would the youkai kill and rob villagers, if it was about a dislike for him? Everything was so complicated.

He noticed that some people cast strange looks in his direction when they passed the house. Did they think that it was his fault? He turned around and watched his mother kneel in front of the small table. She was writing her diary, and she usually didn't want to be disturbed when she did that. But he just couldn't wait any longer. "Haha-ue, is it my fault that this youkai is attacking?"

Ayako stopped writing and looked at her son. "Inuyasha, I already told you it's not."

"But the youkai said that he is attacking because of me," Inuyasha said. "If it's not me, why is he killing people then?"

Ayako sighed and put the brush down. She turned towards her son, giving him her full attention. "If you were the reason, would the youkai steal from the village?"

Inuyasha thought about that and hesitantly shook his head. 

"This is an ordinary thief, only interested in jewels," Ayako finished.

Inuyasha was quiet, letting his mother's words work in his head. "But why does he say that he attacks because of me? Or didn't he say that today?" he asked finally.

"Yes... He mentioned you again in the second attack," Ayako answered hesitantly.

"Then how come that I'm not the reason?" Inuyasha asked in a high-pitched tone, exasperated because he couldn't figure out the situation. _'How can I explain if I don't understand it myself?'_

Ayako sighed, putting a hand on the shoulder of her son. "Inuyasha, if this youkai attacked because of you, he would not steal. He would attack us, like he says, and not the villagers."

"But why is he talking about me?"

"I do not know, Inuyasha," Ayako answered. "Maybe he doesn't like you, maybe he needs an excuse. Or he finds it humorous." She had experienced the strange kind of humor some youkai seemed to have - firsthand. "I cannot tell you what that youkai maybe doesn't even know himself." She saw that Inuyasha was pondering again. She gave him a hug, hoping to turn his mind away.

She looked out of the window and noticed that it would be dark soon. "It's late, Inuyasha. Why don't you go to sleep?" she asked him.

Inuyasha complained in the beginning, but gave in when he noticed that she was decided. When he lay on the futon, Ayako gave her son a smile. "Don't bother with these problems. Haha-ue will deal with them, so don't worry." She gave her son a kiss on the cheek, which he wiped away immediately.

"I'm too old for that!" Inuyasha complained with an indignant expression.

She gave him a quick pat and moved back to the table. It took some time before her son fell asleep, so she watched Inuyasha and smiled at him when he looked at her a few times. When he was finally sleeping, she turned back to her diary. Her entry for today was almost finished, so she decided to complete it.

She had written a diary ever since she had met Seibunishi. In the beginning, it had been just pastime, but over the years she had grown to like putting down the events of the day. Beside Inuyasha, it had been the only thing helping her over the death of her husband. _'Is it really two years already?'_ she thought sadly, absentmindedly writing the last word, and put the pen down.

"Seibunishi, I would really need you now," Ayako whispered. She didn't look behind - she could not - but she still missed her husband. He had always known what to do. She kept wondering if he had foreseen his own death; the deal he had made with the villagers lent credence to this conclusion. They had provided them with food and shelter ever since, and all because of Seibunishi. Even after his death, he had been watching out for them.

But now it seemed that his arrangement was ending. Already the villagers gave them strange looks, and even the ones she had gotten to know better had only briefly talked to her today. "What are we going to do now?" she muttered, not knowing how she should react to the unexpected events. She couldn't even explain the situation to her own son; how should she convince the villagers?

She put her head in her hands. She didn't know if the villagers would let them stay under these conditions any longer. Within a few days, everything had gone out of her control. She could feel tears stinging in her eyes, but she couldn't let Inuyasha see them or hear her sob.

If they couldn't stay here, where else could they go? And who would let them stay? With a hanyou? Other villages would drive them away. Sesshoumaru didn't care about them any longer, or about youkai attacking this village. From now on, they would hunt her son for fun. _'They will -'_ She didn't want to complete the thought. She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table, her head feebly resting in her hands.

She was out of ideas. She had thought all day, but she couldn't think of what to do. _'Inuyasha's only seven, damn it!'_ How could she protect him from all the dangers? "What should I do?" she whispered, the tears beginning to run down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

* * *

Inuyasha lay up in the Goshinboku, lazily letting one leg hang down the branch. Judging by the position of the sun, it was already late afternoon. _'Have I really slept that long?'_ He felt rested like he hadn't for days. He still felt kind of tired, but it was more a comfortable, pleasant tiredness. He wondered why he was still groggy after sleeping for so long, but he didn't complain. It was a huge improvement to yesterday.

His look drifted over Kagome's house. _'How would I have slept inside?'_ he wondered. The sleeping places of her time sure looked comfortable, but he still preferred a tree. He remembered the first time he had ever slept outside alone; it had been after the fight with the miners in his old village. It had been the first of many nights in the wilderness.

He looked down to the shrine that was built around the well. Would he have slept that well in his time? Maybe not, so he guessed he had to be thankful to Kagome. His headache had completely vanished. Generally, he felt a lot better; almost like after a battle, when his wounds were finally almost healed.

Thinking of wounds, Inuyasha pushed up the sleeve and checked his left arm. The cut he had received from the axe looked healed, too. _'Damn, what was that about?'_ he asked himself, wondering why the two dog demons had searched him out in the first place. He had been beyond caring yesterday, but now he couldn't help but wonder why his half-brother would suddenly want to speak with him. Sesshoumaru had never shown any interest in talking with him, neither had he felt the need to talk to his brother. Till now, Sesshoumaru had always tried to kill him, and most of their encounters had been either by chance or because of Tetsusaiga.

He couldn't place the guilt for their fights on Sesshoumaru alone; whenever he met his bastard of a half-brother, he felt the overwhelming need to hurt him. Actually, he sometimes asked himself why he hadn't tried to kill Sesshoumaru with his chances to do so. _'Would I have succeeded?'_ he wondered, again getting this bad feeling, and again cursed at himself for it. "Stupid bastard. Just leave me alone and out of your problems," he muttered.

He shook his head. "No use fretting about the past," he told himself. There was enough to worry about the present. On top of everything was Naraku, of course. The long absence was unusual, the last time he had seen his enemy was when Naraku had freed Ryuukotsusei. Since then - nothing. No traps, twisted plans with the Shikon no Tama, or other attempts at his or his friends' life.

Then there was Kikyou, who confused him even more. Initially she had said that she hated him, then she kissed him but tried to drag him to gods knew where, and now she seemed to concentrate on Naraku. There also seemed to be some enmity between Kikyou and Kagome; although he couldn't put his finger on it and neither one had told him about their encounters, he really felt better if the two weren't left alone with each other.

Well, at least his problem with Sango was solved, or at least he hoped so. He had apologized against last night, and it certainly was the last time. It was nice enough of him to do even that; he wouldn't have apologized at all if it wouldn't have made problems for Miroku. _'You owe me, monk,'_ he thought to himself. _'Twice already.'_

He couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the two. They seemed to be getting along well - Miroku didn't grope other women, and Sango didn't hit him. Inuyasha wondered how Sango would react now when Miroku groped her; it hadn't happened since they had gotten together, at least not to his knowledge. He didn't think that the monk would be able to hold back forever - and not just in that regard. _'Well, not my problem,'_ he thought with a wry grin, sure that Miroku still had some trouble ahead.

He yawned, stretching himself, and heard his stomach grumbling. He finally noticed how hungry he was; his appetite seemed to be back full force. _'I hope they will have something to eat,'_ he thought, deciding to try his luck in Kagome's house. Inuyasha grinned, feeling insatiate at the prospect of food. He jumped down, landing safely. "He," he laughed curtly, remembering how his mother had always forbidden him to do that.

__

'Damn, again,' Inuyasha cursed at himself as he walked over to Kagome's house. His thoughts kept turning back to the past lately, in all kind of situations. He usually didn't think back, not liking the bad memories and getting mixed feelings at the nice ones. _'Looks like sleep didn't help as much as I hoped,'_ he thought with a grimace; dwelling in the past was something for fools. The time was better spent in the present.

He entered and found Kagome's mother in the kitchen, cutting vegetables. _'Damn, I thought they were past the vegetarian nonsense in her time?'_ Although, for now he'd gladly eat whatever she prepared.

"Hello, Inuyasha," the woman greeted him.

He nodded in reply. He was hungry, but didn't want to impose himself - he didn't know the woman from more than from a few brief visits. "Morning. Where's Kagome?"

"She's at school," Asami told him.

"Her _school_ again?" Inuyasha asked, disdain clear in his voice. "Doesn't she have better things to do with her time?" Yesterday she had talked as if a holiday was the most important thing in her life, and now she rushed to her useless school again.

"Better things?" Asami asked. "You should rather be happy that your era has more priority to her than her education. Good jobs are hard to find without an education."

Inuyasha snorted. "We have a job already: finishing the Shikon jewel."

"And she's helping you a lot, isn't she?" Asami retorted. 

"Keh!" Inuyasha settled himself on one of the chairs around the dining table.

Asami caught his eager look, although he hid it quickly. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, kinda," Inuyasha admitted.

"Well, dinner will take some time," Asami began, turning back to seasoning her cooking. "But look in the refrigerator. I'm sure you'll find something," she said, pointing at the fridge.

__

'Damn, more waiting,' Inuyasha thought. Well, it also meant more food; he could eat something from the weird ice-box now and the real meal later. He trotted over to the refrigerator and opened it, wondering again why the light was burning inside every time he opened the door. Was it burning all day long? Didn't it run out of oil?

No longer surprised at the cold temperature streaming out of the machine, Inuyasha looked through the shelves. He found a bottle of milk and took it out to take a sniff of it.

"Is it sour?" he heard Kagome's mother ask. 

"No," Inuyasha answered. "I just wanted to make sure it's normal milk."

Asami decided to not question Inuyasha about what he understood under not normal milk. "Do you want corn-flakes or muesli with the milk?" she asked instead.

"Corn-flakes would be great."

Asami gave Inuyasha a bowl and a package of corn-flakes. She watched the boy take his seat, pushing the sword out of the way to sit comfortably. "Couldn't you take off that sword at least during your meal?" she asked. "I don't like weapons in my house."

"No," Inuyasha answered, eyeing her suspiciously. "But I can eat outside if you want me to."

"Remain seated, no need to get aggravated," she placated. She watched the boy accept her offer and pour the milk into the bowl. "Usually you shake out the corn-flakes into the bowl first," she commented.

Inuyasha shrugged and poured corn-flakes into the milk. He took the spoon and started to eat. "Don't care," he answered between chewing. 

Asami noticed the underlying defiance in Inuyasha's tone. Well, most kids liked to play the rebel in his age. She wondered how Souta would act when he was as old as Inuyasha. Kagome wasn't a problem until now, but she lately worried if her daughter wasn't neglecting school too much.

She saw Inuyasha pour corn-flakes into the bowl again. _'He must be hungry,'_ she thought, wondering if there was a reason behind that. Yesterday, Kagome had only told her that Inuyasha was very tired, but nothing more. Had he been wounded or gotten sick? He hadn't even noticed Kagome leaving for school today. She didn't know Inuyasha that well, but her daughter had told her that the hanyou was a very light sleeper. Actually, Kagome had prepared to have another argument with Inuyasha when she had left, but he hadn't woken up when she slipped by him.

Kagome had told that Inuyasha didn't like her spending time at school. Asami guessed that it was less important in the Sengoku Jidai, so she could understand his position, but she thought that she should explain that school was important. "Inuyasha, Kagome won't be gone for long. I let her sleep till noon today, and she only went to school to talk to the teachers about what she has missed. She should be back any minute."

"Why is she going if she's not gonna stay there, anyway?"

"All young people have to go to school nowadays. I agree that her mission in the past is more important, or I wouldn't allow her to go over there." She saw Inuyasha making a face and added, "I don't think that the well opened up for nothing." This was actually the reason why she allowed Kagome to go to a life-threatening past. She didn't have any illusions about the dangers in the Sengoku Jidai, but she also thought that Kagome had a duty to fulfil. As much as she disliked having Kagome in danger, she didn't think that time-traveling wells existed for nothing.

Inuyasha was another example for the strange times her daughter was traveling to. His hair had a very unusual silver shade, and he had dog ears on his head to top that. She didn't know exactly what was going on between Inuyasha and Kagome, but she was rather sure that it was something more than just useful acquaintanceship.

It was strange for her, more unusual than for most mothers: not knowing much about the boy her daughter was spending most of her time with, or what was happening between them. As much as she knew, her daughter might not be alive anymore if it hadn't been for Inuyasha. For that she was thankful, even if she didn't know what to think of him exactly. He seemed rough, but also honest, if brutally so at times. "If she didn't have to go through the well, it wouldn't have opened up for her. But you have to understand that nobody knows of her travels, and because of this she has to visit school."

"I don't understand. She already knows how to read and write, and even how to calculate," Inuyasha answered, pacified by her answer. He hadn't spent much thought about Kagome's mother until now, but he guessed if she was against the time-traveling of her daughter, there wasn't much he could do. Or would Kagome disagree with her mother? Well, no need to find out. She seemed understanding enough, and it seemed she even tried to explain why Kagome had to spend so much time at school. 

"That's not enough nowadays," Asami answered. "Our children spend years at school. It's also the easiest way to keep Kagome's time-travels secret. I don't want people talking and wondering about her. They're buying our story of Kagome being sick, but if she doesn't show up at school every now and then, somebody will get suspicious."

"I didn't know that," Inuyasha admitted.

"That's why I'm telling you," Asami told him directly. "She wants go to school as much as possible although she's engaged in this double life, please don't make it more difficult for her."

Inuyasha nodded. "Thanks for your honesty, Mrs. Higurashi," he answered, feeling out of place. "I'll take that into account from now on."

"That's all I'm asking for. Please don't tell Kagome, I don't want her to worry about this. And don't worry yourself, as long as she visits school sometimes and keeps up her grades, nobody is going to ask questions." 

  


* * * * *

  
Kagome went out of the teachers' office after talking to the last one. She had missed a lot of material again, and the only saving grace was that there were no tests in the next two weeks. She still would have to learn much, so it was just putting off. "Don't they understand I'm a poor, sick girl?" she grumbled to herself. For always saying they sympathized with her, they sure burdened her with a lot of homework.

She hoped her friends were still waiting outside. She had met them in the school; their lessons had ended when she had begun her rounds to speak with the teachers. They had agreed to wait for her, and Kagome really tried to be quick, but she still wanted to talk to the school doctor. She quickened her steps, intending to let her friends wait as short as possible. 

The school had enough pupils to have a general practitioner in residence, and Kagome hoped that the doctor could advise her about the gap in Inuyasha's memory, or even knew about medicine or other treatment. Kagome remembered that Inuyasha had joked about being dropped on the head, but she wasn't sure if something like that couldn't really be the reason for it. She had heard that a heavy blow to one's head could lead to a memory gap, but she would have to ask a doctor to make sure.

She finally arrived at the right door and twisted on the knob. To her dismay, she found it locked. She noticed a sign next to the door. _'Office hours: 8AM – 3PM,'_ she read and looked at her clock - it was well past four. "Would be asking for too much killing two birds with one stone," she grumbled, grudgingly accepting that she would have to check back another time.

She turned and hurried her steps, hoping that her friends hadn't grown bored in the twenty minutes she had needed for everything. She rounded the last corner and saw that they were still waiting for her. She pushed against the heavy door of the school, opening it, and went outside.

"Finally finished. I tell you, they're trying to drown me in homework," she greeted her friends. "Even the music teacher will make a test in two weeks."

"Yeah, I know," Yuka answered. "They're not going easy on us. Do you know there will be a math test in three weeks?"

"Yes," Kagome groaned. "I can manage the others, but I think math is going to kill me."

"If you want to, I can study with you," Eri offered.

"Really?" Kagome wasn't sure whether to accept the offer or not. She sure could use some extra lessons, but she would get problems with Inuyasha in return. "Hmm, I don't know. I'll call you, okay?" she asked, stalling for time.

"I have to study anyway, so it's no trouble at all. Just call me," Eri said. "So, how are you doing? You've been in bed for two weeks."

"Yes," Arumi took up, "What did you have this time? I hope it's nothing serious?"

"Erm... I can't remember the name," Kagome answered. Actually, she didn't _know_ the name of the sickness Jii-chan had made up. She should ask him the next time before she went to school. "The doctor told me, but it is a rare sickness and the name is quite complicated."

"Really?" Yuka exclaimed, shocked. Sicknesses with complicated names were always bad. "How serious is it?" she asked in a grave voice.

"Hehe," Kagome laughed uneasily. "I'm already getting better, and I think I'll be over it soon." This whole sickness thing was slowly becoming embarrassing... Scratch that, was becoming even more embarrassing. She wouldn't wonder if her grandfather soon placed her in quarantine. "But we should go now, I've kept you waiting long enough."

"It's no problem," Arumi said when they all started to walk. "You're away a lot lately, so we don't get to see you often. Say... You didn't get sick because you got dumped by the two-timing jerk?"

"Now's not the time to worry about boys," Yuka joined in, glad that Arumi had finally addressed the issue.

Eri nodded. "If you study hard for the exams, you'll be able to forget," she advised.

"About boys?" Kagome asked, thinking over the question._ 'About Inuyasha?'_ She remembered that she hadn't told them yet that she and Inuyasha had reconciled after the scene with Kikyou. It still didn't look like Inuyasha had made up his mind, but at least they were back on normal terms. She guessed that she should tell them the simplified version, lest she wanted to explain everything. "Sorry... I didn't tell you," she began with a happy face.

"Huh, something happened again?" Yuka asked surprised.

"Since then, we've talked things over, you see... And we've gotten back together!"

Her friends didn't look too enthralled, but Kagome thought that they should know, or they would start to pair her off again.

"So, you won't go to a movie with Houjou this weekend?" Arumi asked.

"We're all going together," Yuka added. "You can take Mr. Mysterious with you, so we can finally get to know him."

"I don't know if I'm home. I'll call you," Kagome answered, not stalling for time now. The only time she could - just maybe - take Inuyasha with her was during new moon, and that happened to be today, so the weekend was out of question.

They already reached the junction where they had to take different ways. Kagome was kind of glad for it - all the conversation about Inuyasha was difficult, because she had to keep things from them. _'Maybe I'll be able to tell them eventually?'_ she thought wistfully. She didn't like to lie to her friends, but didn't see another solution. " I'll try to visit school more often again, but for the next couple of days I'll have to cure this sickness."

"Bye, Kagome!" Yuka said, already walking her own way.

"Get well soon!" Arumi wished her truthfully.

"And call about the extra lessons," Eri added.

"Yes, I will. See you," Kagome said, waving a final time before leaving for her home.

__

'They've gotten back together...' Arumi thought.

Eri looked after her friend's retreating form. _'Will your exams be okay, Kagome...?'_

Kagome quickened her steps on the last part of way. It was very unusual for Inuyasha to be asleep that long, but he was likely up by now. She had actually worried that someone might see Inuyasha lying up in the tree, but she hadn't had the heart to wake him up, and her mother had told her not to worry. She hoped that the nap had helped him; at least it looked like he had had a good dose of sleep this time.

The shrine was already coming into view. When she climbed the steps, Kagome thought how much easier she took them since her time in the Sengoku Jidai. At least physically, it had helped her condition. _'If only the same were true for my exams!'_ she thought wistfully. She might do better in a history test about that specific era, but with her luck, they had already covered that period a year ago.

She climbed the last steps, curious if she would still find Inuyasha in the tree. _'Of course not,'_ she thought when the tree came into view, without the hanyou lying up in it. She wondered if he was already back in his time; it wouldn't surprise her. She headed for her house and stepped out of her shoes when she entered. "I'm home!" she shouted, announcing her return.

"Hi, Kagome! We are in the kitchen!" she heard her mother answer. Kagome headed for the voice, finding Inuyasha with her mother in the kitchen. Asami worked on the dinner and greeted her by raising her hand. Inuyasha sat on the dinner table, eating corn-flakes with milk. "Hi, Inuyasha! How are you doing?"

"I'm still a bit groggy, but it is okay," Inuyasha answered. "How was school?"

"What, no complaints? No _Kagome, what were you doing in school again_?" she asked, speaking the last sentence in a deeper voice.

"Do you want me to?" Inuyasha retorted, the scowl coming back to his face.

"No!" Kagome answered quickly.

"Then don't complain when I don't," Inuyasha grumbled, turning back to his bowl. "If you want to go to school while I sleep, I guess there's nothing wrong with it."

Kagome took a seat opposite from Inuyasha. She looked inquiringly at her mother, who shrugged and turned back to the meal. _'Why the sudden change of mind?'_ Kagome thought, turning back to stare at Inuyasha. "So, there's also nothing wrong if I learn math with Eri?"

"Who's Eri?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. _'That's typical, give her an inch and she'll take a mile.'_

"A friend of mine; she's good at maths and offered to help me out. I would really need that lessons, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha grumbled. She had to be sensing that he had talked to her mother about school. He could hardly decline now, but he also didn't want to agree. He noticed Kagome's mother giving him a look; it couldn't be helped, he was trapped. But he also couldn't have Kagome discovering why he suddenly was so agreeable; if he gave in too readily, she would smell a rat. He also didn't want to look like he could be bossed around, to neither Kagome nor her mother. "How long would that take?"

"Not long!" Kagome assured quickly. "A few hours. But I would need three days, I can only learn so much math a day."

"Three days?" Inuyasha asked warily. "Not more?"

"No, that's enough." She had learned with Eri before, and her friend had a talent to explain things in a way she understood. "It doesn't have to be immediately, the maths test is only in a few weeks."

"Three days it is, then," Inuyasha said in a firm voice. "But no more!"

"Thanks, Inuyasha!" Kagome grinned, but suddenly her expression became suspicious. "Why are you so easy to convince today?"

"Kagome, Inuyasha," Asami cut in, "before you start another argument, could you go tell Jii-chan that dinner will be ready in half an hour? He's in the temple."

Inuyasha silently thanked Kagome's mother and quickly plunged two spoons into his mouth at once, finishing the last bites of his late breakfast. Chewing contently, he stood up and lead the way. Like this, Kagome wouldn't be able to question him, or better said, he wouldn't be able to answer with his mouth full. He was actually glad that he got out - the previous discussion hadn't helped in becoming comfortable around Kagome's mother. He had no idea how to address her, but he was glad that he had at least remembered Kagome's family name, which the girl didn't use often, either.

Kagome followed after him and they walked over the place towards the temple. "Jii-chan, are you in there?" Kagome asked after knocking on the door.

"Yes, come in, come in..." the old man mumbled. "But don't break anything!"

Kagome stepped inside before him. _'It looks more like a storeroom than a temple,'_ Inuyasha thought when he looked into the shrine, seeing that it was filled with what he could only call junk. He followed Kagome and felt something strange for a second, but it was gone before he could tell what it had been. He turned around and looked out of the door suspiciously, but when he noticed no one into the front yard he turned his attention at Kagome's grandfather; the old man seemed to be searching for something in the chaos. To make sure he hadn't missed something, Inuyasha kept listening intently for sounds from the outside.

"Jii-chan, what are you searching for?" Kagome asked politely.

"An old scroll about our family. I'm sure I put it here somewhere..." The old man finally turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Inuyasha. "What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed.

"Admiring the order?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically, annoyed at the old man's tone of voice. 

"I warded this temple!" Kagome's grandfather grated, pointing at the door. "No demon should be able to enter!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, moving towards the entrance. He wasn't in the mood for the standard 'You're a demon'-routine today. He had felt something upon entering, though.

He noticed a scroll placed on the inner doorpost - this had to be the warding the old man was talking about. He stretched his arm through the door, testing the barrier. The corner of his mouth twitched and after some time, Inuyasha retracted his arm.

"And?" Kagome's grandfather asked.

"It tickles," Inuyasha admitted.

"This cannot be. I personally drew the holy sign," Kagome's grandfather muttered. "It must be because you're half human."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, not liking his human side mentioned, especially on the day of the new moon. "I bet Kagome could set up a proper ward!"

"Are you saying I can't?"

"I say that Kagome can set up a ward."

Kagome noticed both staring at her expectantly. She didn't want to be drawn into their childish quarrel, so she tried to defuse the situation. "Jii-chan, we came to tell you that dinner -"

The old man stopped her with a wave of his hand. "That is not relevant, Kagome," he stated. "We're discussion something important here!"

"Yeah, Kagome! Stop thinking about food all the time!" Inuyasha joined the old man.

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'What the -' Now they ganged up on her? "Fine, have your way!" she said angrily. "Do you have ink somewhere?"

"Of course; it's holy ink from -"

Inuyasha interrupted the old man. "Yes, from Buddha himself. Just give her what she needs for the ward."

Kagome's grandfather glared at the hanyou. "This is a Shinto shrine, not a Buddhist one!"

"Whatever."

The old man finally vanished and came back with ink, a blank scroll and a pen a minute later. He gave the equipment to Kagome, but instead of beginning to work the girl looked up with an expectant expression.

"Jii-chan, I don't know how to draw a ward," she explained, pointing at the blank paper.

The old man looked at Inuyasha with an victorious expression. "Ha, she doesn't even know how to begin with!"

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'Damn,' Inuyasha thought. Hadn't the girl learned anything, growing up in a shrine? "It's tragic that you're not even able to teach her how to do a simple ward."

"Are you saying that I cannot?"

"Well, you didn't manage in fifteen years, did you?"

"I'll show you!" The old man kneeled down next to Kagome, causing Inuyasha to smirk inwardly. Gripping the old man by his pride had worked. He watched Kagome receive a crash course in ward-drawing. After the old man had explained everything, she finally started working on her own ward. They watched Kagome in silence, observing her every move - and each other out of the corner of the eye.

"I'm finished," she announced after a short while.

Kagome's grandfather took the ward. He closed his eyes, obviously concentrating. "I sense strong magic on this scroll."

"Stronger than yours?" Inuyasha asked teasingly.

The old man glared at the hanyou. It looked like he realized that choosing a later point of time to teach Kagome might have been more in his favor. He pressed the scroll against the doorpost, where it stayed on its own. "It's holding, exactly like mine." He went through the double-warded door. "Of course, as a human, I can pass."

Kagome went through next, leaving Inuyasha inside the shrine.

Kagome's grandfather nodded at the hanyou. "I'm sure you can pass through as well, it's the same ward as mine and therefore -" The old man stopped talking abruptly when Inuyasha tried to walk outside, but a crackling barrier appeared and threw him backwards.

"Jii-chan, it works!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly, giving her grandfather a quick hug. She wouldn't have thought that the old man would be able to teach her something useful.

"Why, of course," the old man said smugly, giving his granddaughter a pat on the back when she hugged him. He turned towards Inuyasha, who was standing up inside the shrine. "See, I can teach Kagome how to draw wards."

"Well, at least something," Inuyasha answered. "For yours being worth a shit, hers is surely working fine."

"Don't get cocky," Kagome's grandfather said wisely. "Both our wards are working toge-" He stopped again when the hanyou took his ward, ripped it off the doorpost and shred it to pieces.

Inuyasha grinned at the speechless man. "Let's see how good Kagome's ward is," he said, trying to rip it off, too. But this time, he was thrown back, the barrier not allowing him to touch the source of the spell.

Kagome laughed outside. "Looks like I now know what to do with you when I want to go to school," she teased.

Inuyasha stood up, his back starting to ache from repeatedly landing on it. The barrier didn't allow him to touch the ward, but maybe something else would work. He walked towards the scroll, reaching back with his arm. "Sankon Tetsusou!" He swiped at the ward with his youki, but the barrier activated and threw him back once more. He cursed when he landed on his back yet again.

"See, this is my magic!" Kagome's grandfather lectured, making the best of the situation.

Inuyasha stood up again, thinking there was one more thing he could try. "Don't get cocky too early," he growled, pushing up the sleeve of his jacket. He dug his nails into the flesh of his underarm, causing both Kagome and her grandfather to stare at him. "Hijin Ketsusou!" Inuyasha swiped, the blood on his claws forming a blade. He sent it right at the scroll and clearly sliced it in half.

He observed the result with a pleased expression and walked out of the temple, pushing the sleeve down again. "Looks like blood is stronger than ink," he said with a smug grin.

"Are you sick?" Kagome asked, exasperated that Inuyasha hurt himself so thoughtlessly. "You wound yourself just to prove a childish point?"

"Keh! It will heal, anyway."

"That's beside the point!" Kagome clarified. "I would have let you out, and you know that!"

Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest. "I don't need to be let out. I let out _myself_!" he answered, accentuating the last word.

"How did you know that would work?" Kagome asked, wanting to know where Inuyasha had found out about this. Had he faced wards before? _'Has Kikyou used them? Maybe to guard the Shikon no Tama?'_

"I didn't. I just tried it out," Inuyasha admitted.

Kagome shook her head. _'He just tried it out!'_ she exclaimed mentally. _'Well, I could have guessed that.'_ Inuyasha liked to act rashly. She couldn't see his arm because he had pushed the sleeve over it, but she was sure that Inuyasha had dug his claws in deeply to get the blood for his stupid blood claws. Before she could think of something to say, her grandfather spoke.

The old man had gone to his shrine and looked at the halved scroll. "There's a cut in the doorpost!" he complained.

Inuyasha walked over to him and observed the damage he had done. "Keh. That's not even a centimeter. The blade dispersed soon enough."

"And everything's blotted with blood," the old man continued. There was blood on the doorpost; the blades hadn't vanished into nothing. The two scroll halves would have fallen down with their magic destroyed, but they soaked up the blood and stuck to the wood. The upper half bent down because it was glued to the doorpost only at the lower end, where it had been cut.

"I used as little blood as possible, it won't be hard to clean," Inuyasha assured, avoiding to name who would clean the mess. "You're just angry because you lost the bet."

"I didn't lose anything," Kagome's grandfather replied smoothly, a small smile growing on his face. "Kagome didn't keep you in either, did she?"

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'Damn,' Inuyasha thought. Should he really have waited for Kagome to let him out? Although, that wouldn't have been a satisfying way to win the bet. But to lose it wasn't satisfying, either. _'Damn you, Jijii,'_ Inuyasha cursed silently. The old man was quite underhanded, too. "Well, that's only because your spell is too weak," Inuyasha countered.

"I have much stronger spells in stock; they would purify you in an instant," Kagome's grandfather replied confidently. Looking sagely, he turned and walked for the house.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's grandfather thoughtfully for a second, then walked after him, letting Kagome stand at the temple. "Stronger spells?" he asked when he reached the old man.

"Kagome is too young yet for that kind of power," the old man lectured wisely, letting his voice drop an octave.

"Very thoughtful of you," Inuyasha agreed. "It's good to know that this power is in the right hands."

Kagome's grandfather nodded. "If you continue to look after my granddaughter that well, I hope I can teach her soon. But I'm confident in you, these claws of blood were very impressive."

Kagome stood rooted to the spot, glaring after the two as they buttered up each other. _'I'm too young?' _she thought heatedly.

"Thanks for the encouragement," Inuyasha replied. "I also feel at ease, knowing that Kagome has such a competent grandparent."

"Oh, I just do what I can. It's me who is at ease, knowing..." The two reached the house and entered, their flatteries fading away.

Kagome still found herself unable to move. _'These two are so ...'_ She couldn't find a word bad enough to do justice to Inuyasha and her grandfather. Allied as they suddenly were, they'd likely even expect her to clean up the mess they left because of their childish bet. _'No way in hell!'_ she thought resolutely and stomped after the two. 

She was quite sure that neither of them was being honest with the other. _'Just, who's deceiving whom?'_

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December 18th, 2003 : Chapter 17 Finished.

Here's the end for another chapter. I'll really try to be quicker with the next one, but I really can't promise anything. I guess everything from a few weeks to months is possible again. But you can rest assured that I'm not planning on discontinuing this story.

Then, I also want to announce that I've worked on a banner for this story. I had an idea for a while, but only recently met someone whom I thought capable of drawing it for me. Because of a review I left, I got into a talk with _Xue_, and when I found out that her drawing style matched my ideas and that she also agreed to help me out, we began working on this picture. Although the rough idea is by me, many details are from Xue, also the layout (and most else). She really did her best in adding her touch to the picture, while I tried my best to express myself without interfering with her creativity. Actually, there wasn't much of a problem, because we usually understood each other easily.

So, after much work, especially on Xue's part, I can finally announce that it is finished. It's lacking the usual fluffy-ness, so it's not your common Inuyasha picture. That's exactly why I like it. For now, it is only up on my homepage, which you can find via my FF.net profile. If you're interested, drop in and take a look - I'm sure you won't regret it.

Finally, merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I hope that you like my present, and have nice holidays. Thanks for your support during this year!


	19. Chapter 18: Nightfall

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

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Author rantings :  
I finally was able to spend some time on writing. I've got a job now, and paired with studying it's cutting my time short more than I thought. :-/ An update every two month is kinda disappointing for you as well as for me, as I'm sure readers get out of touch with a story after that long. I hope that the chapter length can make up for it - I could easily post it as three chapters, what would also make for more updates, but I really prefer things this way.

I want to warn you of a cliffhanger; although I usually try to avoid those, there are already 2000 words of the next chapter written and it didn't seem to stop anytime soon, so I made the most evil cut I could think of ;)

Title epigraph is from an _Amorphis_ song. 

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Reviews revisited :  


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Sugarhighs - Thanks for the encouragement! I'm sometimes not sure if I'm referencing to Takahashi's work _too_ much, but reviews like yours make me believe I'm not.

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Bluefuzzyelf - I'm glad that you like the plot progress. I intended to advance it faster, but somehow this story doesn't follow my intentions at all. *grumbles*

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Silver Dragon - Thanks for commenting on the picture! I fear my updates won't get much faster, but I hope that doesn't distract you too much.

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Holly - Jo! Glad that you're also still around. :) I've tried to be quick, but I was really lacking time those last months. I'll try my best to quicker. I hope to hear from you again!

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Loki - Wow, thanks a lot for all the reviews! Looks like you read through the story in two days, and it seems you were really drawn in. At least, I hope so. :) About AUs, I've found a few good ones meanwhile, but still the fics I enjoyed most were all normal fics. Because of that, I really wanted to write a fic playing in the original universe. I don't think that AUs are necessarily more stupid, because many canon fics are stupid as well - I guess you're right and it is a taste thing. 

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Daniel-Gudman - Thanks for the tips. The first one was preaching to the converted - while I guess importance is up to discussion, I don't think it would be _interesting_ to read about Kagome studying for school ;). About the second, I've and played around a bit with the Gramps part, I hope that it reads better now. When I find the time, I want to change it a few parts, but god knows if that will ever happen.

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HMPrune - I guess the IY/Gramps part might divide the folks a bit, but it seems you have a similar kind of humor. :) As you guessed, this chapter is dealing with human Inuyasha, although I hope originally enough to make it interesting.

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ShadowStar - I hope that it isn't getting too detailed sometimes, but it's kinda hard for me to hold back ;)

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Admiral Biatch - Hope you still haven't forgotten about the story. I'm aware that two month is long, but I can't write faster. :-/ If I continue at the current pace, I'd maybe never finish this, but I think that there will be better times. If not sooner, at least summer holidays ;)

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ejqHorseLady - Sorry for screwing up your name! Because of being underlined, I read the letter wrong. Anyway, it's corrected now. Thanks for the review, I'm never too sure if my story is that well written, but my beta readers helped me a lot with that.

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Kagome39 - I hope you liked the picture. Might have been kinda unfitting for Christmas, but I didn't want to wait ;)

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Mystical Dream - Thanks for your review. You are right, the last chapter hadn't that much going on. On the other hand, I don't think I could have bypassed it, there is a number of happenings that will be important later on. I've added a bit action and humor, but I didn't have too much leeway. Anyway, thanks for your honest review! Hope to read from you.

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Vinita - In case you haven't found out until now, OOC means "Out of Character" (i.e. Inuyasha is too romantic all of a sudden), AU means "Alternate Universe" (Inuyasha is a prince) and yaoi means homosexual content (I don't want to think of examples ;)).

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Demon Angel - It's good that you finally reviewed the story - I got the tip to look over the IY/Gramps part several times. I've already played around with it a bit, and hope to find time to really change it soon. Thanks for being honest!

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Anandria - Hmm, the chapter title "Colony" is mainly because Kagome's time has to be like a secluded area for Inuyasha. The lyrics were fitting, too. Thanks for pointing out that the shrine is Shinto, I've added a small comment thanks to your tip.

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Rabi - Thanks for offering your nickname, the complete name would really have been kinda hard to type :). I'm really sorry for taking that long with updating again, but I don't have that much time to write recently. I hope that this will change, during summer at the latest.

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AmunRa - Wow, how come that this is the first IY fic you're reading? Pure chance? Anyway, thanks for the honest encouragement. I know that there are a few misused words, especially in the earlier chapters, but my beta readers are helping me fight them. My native tongue isn't English, but I'm trying to improve to my best ability :). I guess I know what you mean with reaching the end, that's always very disappointing. At least it's not discontinued like some of the masterpieces out there, I hope that this is a small comfort.

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Renangel - You were kinda preaching to the converted. I'm of the same opinion - Kikyou is often made into an evil bitch. Although I think Kagome has reason to distrust Kikyou - after all, she tried to kill Kagome once - there haven't been many stories that dealt with the topic seriously. Most drifted off into some childish "who gets Inuyasha" tralala. I especially hate it when they deprive Kikyou of her brains - she strikes me as a very clever person - and transform her into some jealous dimwit.

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NekoNoodles - Thanks for the praise! Actually, I don't think you suck at writing reviews - although it wasn't the longest, you told me what you liked especially, and that's more than many reviewers tell! :)

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PrincessLesse - Ho, a metal listener! I guess I'm finally moving on to the heavier music, which I couldn't use for the earlier chapters. I guess I'll stick to the more well-known bands, but maybe you'll still discover one or two new groups?  
Anyway, thank you for your honest review. English is not my native tongue, that's why there are a few parts that might read a bit awkward, especially in the earlier chapters. My beta reader are really helping me with that, and I'm also trying to improve myself.  
Finally, I hope that the wait wasn't too long, and that you'll continue to like this fic!

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Xue - Well, I guess there isn't much to say, but I didn't want to leave you out ;) So, thanks for you review, especially for your tips. I'll have to work over the part you mentioned in your last review, I've concentrated on the new chapter for now.

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Whimsical Writer - Well, I tried to write a story that is a bit different from the others - looks like I was able to find a niche. :) I'm sorry that it took so long, but as I said, the powers that be won't allow me to work on this story more... Wish you good luck with your story!

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Nitte Iz - Hmm, I guess you can call this fic semi-AU. I've picked up this expression somewhere, and I think it's fitting best. But, I guess most Inuyasha fics qualify for this more or less, so I'm not sure if it's making that much of a difference. Well, whatever you call it, it's the way I planned my story. I hope it will continue to intruique you. :)

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Mel - To tell the truth, I didn't really know how to take your comment. It is true that I'm trying to make Kagome less like a saint, but mainly with the intention of writing her more realistic. I have to admit that Kagome is the hardest character to write for me - I'm handling IY, Miroku and Sango much easier. If you have a tip for me, please tell me! Until then, I hope that you'll continue to like this story (nonetheless?) ;)

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Sitrielle - I'm glad that you remembered to review - I usually forget to if it doesn't work immediately ;) Hope you'll like the chapter!

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Disclaimer :  
Same as always - still not mine.

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Special thanks to :

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Xue for beta reading. Thanks a lot for helping me out - I know that this chapter would be much worse if you hadn't invested your time into it.

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Chapter 18

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But horror be the nightfall's gloom  
For the man upon the road  
When moon doth laugh on worthless lives  
Twice hard for all promise showed

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Nightfall

Inuyasha followed Kagome's grandfather. The old man's comment had made him curious - if Kagome could keep him back like that with a supposedly weak spell, a strong one would be infinitely more useful. He would have to look out that Kagome didn't turn them against him – if she used them during one of her moods, he might end up locked in a barn or something like that. Well, it seemed his blood claws could help him against that.

Important now was whether Kagome's grandfather wasn't just bluffing. Usually he'd have done away the old man's comments as boasting – who wouldn't pass on important knowledge like that? Only a fool would keep it from a granddaughter traveling to a dangerous past. But, fact was that Kagome's grandfather had done exactly that with the other spell, which had worked perfectly. And this inconsequence made it hard to judge whether the old man was making up a lame excuse or telling the truth.

"Ojii-san, how do these other spells work?" Inuyasha prodded politely; appealing to the old man's pride had worked before. "I can use all help I can get since the whole mess with the Shikon no Tama started."

"I understand that well," Kagome's grandfather answered, "but such power cannot be entrusted to hands not ready to handle it." He paused and leaned closer to Inuyasha to continue in a whispering voice, "Those spells are of terrifying power, passed on in our family for generations. But let's not talk about that in the kitchen, I don't want to scare Asami."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, his suspicion of a lame excuse growing. _'Don't forget, his ward worked,'_ he told himself - the pain in his back was the best reminder.

They entered the kitchen, Inuyasha letting the old man go first. He found Kagome's mother sitting at the table and reading the newspaper. Chopsticks were already laid out on the table, including a pair for him. Wondering if she had already finished dinner, Inuyasha took a look at the oven. "How long till the food is ready?" he asked, the smell reminding him of his hunger again; the cornflakes hadn't really satiated him.

Asami looked up from her newspaper and at the clock at her wrist. "The rice is already cooked and only simmering. A few minutes," she answered.

Inuyasha grumbled, not wanting to wait longer. "Why don't you make it in that _meikrowaiv_ thing?" he asked, remembering that it took next to no time to make food in the machine with the freakin name. "How did you cook the rice, anyway?"

Asami had already turned back to the newspaper and answered without looking up. "You can't make rice in the microwave. We cook with gas, we don't have an electric oven."

"Oh," Inuyasha answered, having no idea what she was talking about. He heard Kagome enter the house; he should ask her when they were alone. The girl entered the kitchen, looking none too pleased. _'What's wrong with her?'_ Inuyasha wondered. Didn't she appreciate that he tried to lure information out of her grandfather? _'Stupid girl should help me,'_ he sneered in his mind. It was for her sake, after all - it wasn't like he could use the spells himself.

Kagome took place at the table, next to Asami. " How long will the rice take?" she asked her mother.

"Almost ready, five minutes," Inuyasha cut in, taking a seat himself.

A frown appeared on Kagome's face. "Where is Souta?"

Asami sighed, closing the newspaper, and put it away. "He called before, he should be here any minute."

"Do we have to wait for him?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"Of course!" Kagome answered.

"What if the food gets cold?"

"Inuyashaaa..."

"Fine..." Inuyasha grumbled. "He'd better be here soon." He rested his chin in his hand, a look of utter boredom on his face.

Kagome shot him a glare, her face reddening a bit. Inuyasha was sure that she was about to tell him to be polite, so he pretended not to notice and addressed the old man instead. Politely, of course. "Ojii-san, when do you think that Kagome will be proficient enough to learn more?"

"It's impossible to teach her before she turns sixteen," Kagome's grandfather lectured. "The effects could be disastrous."

Inuyasha wanted to press on with the subject, but heard someone enter the house. He tensed briefly, but realized that it was just Souta. The boy entered the kitchen and caught sight of Inuyasha.

"Inu no niichan!"

"Hi, Souta," Inuyasha grumbled, annoyed that he couldn't continue questioning the old man.

Kagome greeted her brother. She got only a short reply before the boy sat down next to her and his attention shifted to Inuyasha.

"Are you well-rested now?" the boy asked curiously. "You were still asleep when I had to leave for school."

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'Looks like school also has its useful sides,' Inuyasha thought to himself, glad that his sleep hadn't been interrupted by an impatient child. "Yes," he answered curtly, not feeling like discussing the matter further. Everyone asked him if he was better when he hadn't even been hurt - it was embarrassing. He should have kept some distance to stop them from keeping track of his sleep; he had had enough practice with things like that from his human times, when he had always had to find a hideaway.

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'Damn, I completely forgot that!' Inuyasha cursed at himself. _'Tonight is new moon!'_ He looked out the window - the sun would be down soon. _'Shit!'_ He had to be really out of his rhythm - he felt like it was only noon, but the day was already over.

Inuyasha stood up abruptly. "I have to go, I... have to do something. In my time," he excused himself.

"I thought you wanted to stay for dinner?" Kagome asked him. Inuyasha noticed the disappointment in her tone. _'You know damn well I can't!'_ he cursed silently. "I forgot something, and I should... take care of it immediately," he answered, impatience seeping into his voice.

When she looked at him sadly, he wondered if Kagome was turning stupid - had she forgotten what day it was? "You know, it's about that thing... with the moon," he hinted, not wanting to fill in the other members of Kagome's family.

"I still thought you wanted to stay for dinner," Kagome persisted. Her mother looked at the two quizzically, but didn't say anything.

Inuyasha gawked for a second. _'Does she understand what I mean or not?'_ he wondered. "Kagome, do you know what day it is?" he asked slowly.

"Yes, I do. I had hoped you wanted to stay nonetheless," Kagome answered. Meanwhile, Souta and his grandfather had also caught that something was wrong. Souta looked from Kagome to Inuyasha and back, while the old man started twirling his beard.

Inuyasha finally understood that he didn't understand her. He shrugged and answered, "Anyway, I'll go now." He contemplated dragging Kagome along, but decided otherwise - she seemed to be in a strange mood, and he didn't intend to take off until tomorrow. He headed for the door and shouted over his shoulder, "I'll be back tomorrow."

He wasn't even halfway across the place when he heard Kagome exit the house and come after him. He turned around and waited for her to come closer. "Dammit, Kagome, what was that about?" he asked when she had almost reached him. "I'm transforming this night!"

"And?"

"And I can't stay here," he told her the obvious.

"Why not?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

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'She acts as if I_ did something wrong,'_ Inuyasha thought incredulously. He had held back, but now her mother wasn't around. "Why not?!?" he blurted out. "I'll tell you why not... Because..." He drifted off, not knowing how to explain. _'Damn, she keeps confusing me!'_ he thought angrily. "You know damn well why!" he stated finally.

"No, tell me!" she shouted back.

They glared at each other for a moment, until Inuyasha folded his arms in front of him. "Because they can't see me as a human," he answered, a victorious smile creeping over his face.

"Oh," Kagome answered, mock enlightenment in her voice. "Right, you would die if anyone saw you."

Inuyasha scowled at her. "No, I wouldn't die. But there's no reason for them to know."

"Is there a reason for them not to know?" Kagome asked a question in reply. "Is there any reason not to trust them?"

"Dammit, that doesn't have anything to do with it," Inuyasha stated. "I don't see any reason to stay here during the new moon."

"You don't? Well, I do," Kagome answered. "Here there is no chance that Naraku will catch on to your secret. Here there are no youkai that could exploit your transformation." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "We could have a nice dinner with my family."

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'Is she angry about dinner?' Inuyasha wondered. Either way, she had a point; this place was a better hideout than most places in his time. He knew that, but hiding his human appearance had had top priority since - well, always. Everything he had ever tried out on that damned day had aimed at not having _anyone_ find out about his secret. Safety concerns were secondary.

He still remembered the night when Kagome had found out about his human time. They had slept in a temple, and when she and Shippou had finally settled down, he had intended to leave and sleep outside, despite the spider demons he had been warned of. But then the spider demons had suddenly been _inside_ the temple, and in the chaos that had ensued, his secret had been uncovered. He actually wondered why he hadn't been more fazed then - the only person he had ever told of his own accord had been Kikyou, and only after a long time of consideration.

Since then, a few more people had gradually gotten to know about his human time, but even now he could count them on one hand.

"Dammit, Kagome, you know I never tell anyone about that, as long it is avoidable," he explained finally. "I can't just -"

"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted him, "you are right that it _is_ a matter of life and death in your time. But it isn't here. You don't have to act like that with me and my family."

Inuyasha frowned - what she said all made sense, but he still hardly felt like exposing himself. It was the way he had lived ever since he had been a child; he couldn't just switch that off. He noticed that she was looking at him, sadness instead of anger on her face. _'Am I that pitiful?'_ he wondered angrily.

"Fine," he answered, steeling himself, "let's have dinner." He walked back to the house, past Kagome.

When he entered the kitchen again, he began to have doubts if he hadn't acted rashly. Souta, his mother and his grandfather all looked at him with curiosity. "I'm... staying for dinner," he began, not sure how to explain the special circumstances of this night. He struggled for the right words when Kagome passed, briefly giving his left hand a squeeze, and sat down on her chair.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Inuyasha also took a seat. However, he still had no idea how to explain his transformation. "Every new moon, my youkai blood wanes for the night," he started, but came to a stop again. _'That sounded really dumb,'_ he chided himself.

"That's because Inuyasha is half human," Kagome took up. "Once in a month, the power of his youkai blood vanishes and leaves him as human for a night. He loses his claws, his fangs and his ears, as well as his superhuman strength."

"And the sense of smell," Inuyasha added what seemed most hindering to him. "But I'm still no wimp."

"You transform into a normal human tonight?" Souta asked curiously.

Inuyasha nodded and looked out of the window to check the position of the sun, which was starting to vanish behind the horizon. "It should begin soon - as soon as the sun vanishes completely." He folded his arms in front of him and looked into the circle, taking in their expressions. Kagome smiled at him encouragingly; she looked quite happy. _'And all it takes is for me to make a fool out of myself,'_ he grumbled in his mind. Souta seemed to be thinking about something, judging from the faraway expression. The old man looked plain curious, while Kagome's mother had a small smile on her face. Well, it could have turned out worse.

Before a lengthy silence could ensue, Asami stood up. "The rice is ready," she stated and walked over to the stove. She took out a number of small bowls, put rice into them and finally added the vegetables. Kagome stood up and helped her carry it.

"Enjoy the meal," Asami said when everyone had a bowl. 

Inuyasha sniffed at his meal first to check if it was edible. He took care not to be obvious - Kagome and her family would feel insulted. It wasn't exactly polite, but on the day before the new moon he always double-checked everything; every third-rate poison would quickly kill him as a human. If one of his fights with Sesshoumaru had been on such a day, his brother's poison would have melted him from the inside as soon as he turned human.

After he finished the check, he immediately dug into his meal. _'Damn was I hungry!'_

Kagome sighed and started to eat, along with her family.

Inuyasha stopped and wondered if he should eat 'civilized' for once, but with his stomach demanding attention he continued after a second. _'Screw their useless table manners,'_ he decided, dismissing the matter.

He was halfway through the bowl when he noticed the light nausea which preceded the transformation. He put the chopsticks down and briefly wanted to leave the room, but fought down the urge. _'I knew this was gonna happen the moment I went back inside the house,'_ he assured himself. He knew from experience that it was just a matter of seconds until the transformation started, so he made sure he sat steadily in his chair and rested his forearms on the table.

It started. It began with his claws, as always. They shrunk away, depriving him of his best weapon, while his fingertips widened a bit to adapt to the altered fingernails. His ears started to change moments later; he could feel them wandering down his head. This was the sole part that was, well, entertaining, if only the slightest bit. He remembered how he had once grabbed his ears as a child, trying to keep them in place during the transformation. Of course, he hadn't been successful, but for some time he had always held onto them on that occasion, fascinated that his own ears were pulling his hands along. He thought that he had also liked it because it put his hands out of sight, so he didn't have to follow the castration of his claws. He hadn't done that the longest time, sure that he would look too stupid and die of embarrassment if someone caught sight of him. Shapeshifting ears also felt really weird to the touch.

Next were his fangs, which he really hated losing. He could deal with the changes on the outside, but when his jawbone started shifting, the fun was over. He _hated_ it. It sent a shiver down his spine every time. Well, at least the transformation was almost finished. The other changes inside his body were to diffuse to keep track of - too much changed, muscles, tendons, things inside his _nose_. Pretty much everything. His hair had to be black by now; the change of its color was one of the few things he didn't notice unless he looked at it.

It couldn't have taken more than ten seconds, likely even less. He still hated losing his fangs the most - he felt the shortened teeth with his tongue and was completely unfamiliar with the new shape. His heart raced inside his chest, as if trying to cancel out the change, as always. At least the nausea still vanished when the transformation was over. As fucking always. _'Humanity, you have me back for a night. Damn new moon.'_ His noticed that his arm hurt where he had pierced it for the blood claws. Nothing he couldn't deal with, though.

He looked up, the eyes of the others staring at him. Even Kagome had joined them. "What!?"

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"Well, as okay as I'll ever be as a human," Inuyasha answered, not fully understanding what she meant.

"You put down the chopsticks, all of a sudden. And then you didn't say a word for the whole transformation." Kagome explained herself. "Does it... hurt?"

Although Inuyasha couldn't hear all the registers of her voice like he could as a hanyou, the meaning of her tone was still clear to him. She was worried. "Nah, not really," he answered. "All the shifting and stuff is just a bit distracting."

Kagome looked at him skeptically, but didn't press the matter. Inuyasha winked at her, a silent thanks. He really didn't feel like discussing the ups and downs of hanyou-human transformations, above all not here in front of her family.

"Wow, you look like a human," Souta blurted out. "And your claws are gone! Look, Kagome, his claws are gone!"

"And?" Inuyasha asked, surprised at the kid's delighted tone.

"We can finally try out my Playstation," Souta explained.

"Try out _what_?" Inuyasha asked without any understanding. Kagome started giggling; she obviously tried to hold back, but couldn't. _'Very funny,'_ Inuyasha thought without humor.

"I'll show you, I'm sure you'll like it," Souta went on. "Kagome said that you would ruin the controllers with your claws, but now there's no problem."

Inuyasha found that this answer only raised more questions - what the hell was a controller? But what angered him even more was that Kagome wouldn't stop laughing. "Is it that damn funny?"

Kagome caught Inuyasha's peeved tone. "It's not about you, Inuyasha," she answered, still giggling, "but here you are, turning human. And the first thing Souta thinks about is his Playstation."

Inuyasha wanted to answer, but Souta interrupted him. "Do you want to try after dinner, Inuyasha? You'll like it, it's about fighting and driving and -"

"Yeah, maybe later," Inuyasha answered without much interest. He turned back to his food, deciding that although their reactions to his transformation hadn't been as he had imagined, he didn't understand them.

__

'Does it hurt?' he remembered Kagome's words. They were exactly the same as Kikyou's. When she had seen him transform, she had asked the same question. The two were alike in many aspects; although they had had a different upbringing, their core was the same. He looked up from his food towards Kagome, seeing her chatting happily with her brother. _'Here lies the difference,'_ Inuyasha observed. _'Kikyou was always more reserved.'_ He couldn't remember Kikyou ever having fun with her sibling, although the age difference between her and Kaede must have been roughly the same as the one between Kagome and Souta. 

He silently continued eating, not exactly in the mood for a conversation. He was quickly becoming more tired. He had noticed before that his normal hanyou form was more resistant to fatigue, but it could be that he would be tired even if he hadn't turned human tonight. He quickened his pace, the food in his bowl quickly disappearing.

When he finished, he leaned back. "That was good," he commented truthfully. Unable to resist the urge, he stretched and yawned.

"What, you're finished already?" Kagome asked in an unbelieving voice. She took a look into his bowl to make sure. "You shouldn't gulp your food down like that!"

"Why not? So it can get cold?"

Kagome sighed and cast her mother an apologetic look.

"I put extra in your bowl," Asami explained. "Are you still hungry?"

Inuyasha spent a second deciding if his hunger outweighed his laziness. "Yeah, a bit," he told Kagome's mother finally.

"If you want to, you can have the rest. I intended to eat it tomorrow for lunch, but it tastes better now, anyway," Asami offered. "The stir-fry is in the fridge, you'll have to heat it. The rice is still standing on the stove."

Inuyasha nodded and stood up, heading for the refrigerator. He opened the door and took out the pan. The grip was already cold to the touch - Kagome's mother was right with her assessment, he would have to warm it up. He went over to the stove and, after taking a look at it, found out that he had no idea how to handle it. "How does that work?"

"First you have to put the pan on the on the right front row plate," Kagome's mother explained. When Inuyasha had done so, she continued, "Then you turn on the gas. See the knobs on the oven's front? The outermost right one is for your plate; turn it left until - that's enough!"

Inuyasha stopped twisting the knob and hoped that he was finished now - future cooking sure was strange - all about _meikrowaiv_ and other weird stuff. "Should I turn it back?"

"No, it's just right. Now you only have to push the little button on the left," Asami finished. 

Inuyasha did as she said. With a swoosh, fire suddenly crackled to life. Hissing, he jumped back sideways and landed on the countertop in a crouching position. Out of habit, he had Tetsusaiga unsheathed after an instant. He eyed the fire warily, ready to act should it overflow.

__

'Fuck!' Inuyasha cursed at himself after a second. _'You stupid idiot, they can't cook everything without fire!'_ The flame was small and clearly intended for cooking. _'Couldn't they have told me beforehand?'_ he grumbled mentally. _'And on a human night no less.'_ He was sure that his heart had missed a beat; now it was racing like mad.

Calming down, he noticed Kagome laughing behind him. He jumped down the countertop and turned towards her. "What?" he asked in an irritated voice.

"You jumped back like a cat," Kagome explained, still giggling a bit but getting herself under control. "You looked funny."

"It's not funny," Inuyasha retorted. "I... I didn't know that you also cook with fire."

"Nothing to get worked up over," Kagome assured good-naturedly.

Inuyasha clenched his fist, but bit back his response. He took a second to get a grip on himself and turned to Souta. "Let's try out that thing you've been talking about," he told the boy, finally sheathing Tetsusaiga. He turned around and left for the living room.

Souta shrugged and went after the hanyou.

  


* * * * *

  
Kagome helped her mother put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Inuyasha and Souta's voices could be heard from the living room where they played one of her brother's games. Every now and then, a victorious laugh or a curse could be heard. Most of the comments were her brother's.

Kagome wondered if she had angered Inuyasha; he had left quite abruptly. _'He would have teased me to no end if I was surprised by something like that,'_ she defended herself. _'I didn't even laugh outright!'_ It had just looked funny how he had jumped back.

"Do you think he's angry?" she asked her mother, taking care to talk quietly enough to not be heard by the two in the living room. If Inuyasha had been in his youkai form, she might have had to leave the room, but like this she only talked in a low voice.

"I'm not sure, but I think so," Asami responded, placing the last plate into the dishwasher. "I was actually worried at first - he looked pale for a second when he pulled that stunt." She went to the table and sat down in a chair. She nodded at the other one, encouraging her daughter to join her.

"Really?" Kagome asked, also taking a seat. "I didn't notice."

Asami shrugged. "I'm not sure, I didn't see him very well, either. Anyway, you didn't tell me he could turn _human_."

"Yes," Kagome replied nervously. "He is terribly secretive about it, and if he found out that I told people behind his back, I'm not sure how he would react. Because I don't want to lose his trust, I didn't tell you - it wasn't that important, either."

"That's why he wanted to leave, isn't it?" Asami inquired. When Kagome nodded, she continued, "Aren't you making too much fuss about it? He just turns human for a night. Actually, he still reacted very quickly."

"It's not that easy, Mom." Kagome pondered how to explain it best. She had never told her family much about the dangers of the Sengoku Jidai and kept to the enjoyable parts - like people they had saved or friends she had made. She was sure that at least her mother had a rough idea of the details she left out, but no matter how much she guessed, her mother couldn't know of the persecution of hanyou, by both humans and youkai.

"Back in his time, he would be in trouble if a youkai found him during new moon. Most of them think humans are inferior and find it an outrage that a youkai would have a child with one. And it's not only that; since the shards attract many youkai, even a chance encounter could become dangerous. We were in big trouble when we ran into a spider youkai during one of his human times," Kagome explained, remembering how he had hung in the web, looking dead. If Myouga hadn't sucked out the poison shortly after, she was sure Inuyasha wouldn't have survived - they had tugged him into a small room after freeing him from the web, already unconscious; his hands had been ice-cold, his forehead covered in sweat. _'That night was the first that I saw him human,'_ she thought with mixed feelings, remembering that Inuyasha had been after the shards she forgot in the temple.

Pushing away old memories, she continued, "If word spread that his human time is during the new moon, some youkai might ambush him. I don't even want to think about Naraku."

"Well, you and your other friends are human all the time. And you're all still alive," Asami answered, still unconvinced.

"That is also because of Inuyasha. He usually takes the brunt of it when we run into trouble," Kagome replied truthfully. "Also, Miroku has considerable holy powers, and his curse is a threat even to the strongest youkai. I'm also getting my own miko powers under control. And Sango is a taijiya. She is trained in martial arts, like straight out of a ninja movie. And she has appropriate weapons, her giant boomerang Hiraikotsu or toxic powders. Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga is rather weak untransformed, and he has no other means of hurting a youkai as a human."

Asami nodded. "It sounds like you know what you're talking about. Speaking of Tetsusaiga, he seems pretty set on keeping it on him. I asked him to put it away in the house, but he disagreed quite harshly."

Kagome sighed, she could imagine Inuyasha snapping when asked to put away Tetsusaiga. "I hope he wasn't too rude," she apologized, "but he has his reasons."

The sword had become life-assurance to Inuyasha, it had saved his and others' lives numerous times. He practically never let go of it, even in sleep. Paranoid, maybe, but justified, too. She also hadn't told her family that Inuyasha turned into a mindless killer if he fought for too long without Tetsusaiga. She didn't want to scare her mother or Souta, nor did she think that Inuyasha wanted people to know about it. He had never talked about the humans he killed with her or anyone else, not that she knew of. She had tried to console him after the event, without much success.

__

'Sorry, but I'm not worried about it!' she remembered him shouting after he had refused the towel she had offered him to clean his hands. He had already tried to wash off the blood in a river, without seeming to have much success. _'Those bandits were ...'_ he had continued, more to convince himself than her, not even finding words. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so depressed. Although she had hugged him, even when he had held her hand – she had felt as if there were miles between them.

"Please don't ask him to take off the sword anymore," Kagome told her mother. "I know you don't like weapons in the house, but it can't be helped."

Asami was about to reply when the telephone rang. "Would you answer the phone, Kagome?" she asked. "If it's for me, tell them I'm taking a shower or something." 

Kagome gave her mother a inquiring look. "Everything okay?"

Asami nodded. "Yes. I'm just tired." She watched Kagome leave for the vestibule and sighed when her daughter was out of sight. Out of Kagome's mouth, it all sounded like a fairy tale. The worst she and her friends ever did was 'run into trouble' or 'get in trouble'. The reality behind those tales – fights to the death, people that were killed by the youkai they hunted – was almost lost. But like many other details, hearing of the danger to Inuyasha's life because of being human, or that even Kagome insisted that he keeps his sword with him reminded her again what times her daughter traveled to.

She stood up and walked to the shelf where she kept the dishwasher detergent and took one tab out of the box. She went to the dishwasher and, kneeling down, put the detergent into the panel. She stayed down for a few seconds, absentmindedly closing the panel.

Was is it the right choice to risk her daughter's life like that? Honestly, she didn't know. _'But what can I do?'_ It seemed that the well was meant for her daughter – no one else beside Inuyasha could use it. The quest her daughter took part in seemed to play a role in the history of all Japan, even if the record had been lost over the course of time.

Still, she dreaded the day Inuyasha came back with the news of the decease of her daughter. Or maybe no one would ever come?

__

'Stop thinking like that!' Everything would work out - Kagome had said herself that she was getting more powerful. And she herself had to do everything she could to help her daughter, even if it wasn't much.. _'Even if I can't help her, I mustn't worry her. Too much depends on Kagome.'_ She activated the machine and stood up.

  


* * * * *

  
"Higurashi."

"Hi, Kagome," the mechanical voice from the phone answered. "It's me, Eri."

"Hello, Eri," Kagome answered surprised.

"I wanted to ask if you have time to go to the movie with us? You said you didn't know this afternoon."

"No, I'm afraid not," Kagome answered reluctantly after a second. She felt bad for seeing her friends so infrequently, but she couldn't help it. Knowing Inuyasha, they would be hunting after shards the next several days.

"Really?" Eri asked slowly.

"Yes, I'll be away again. I'll try to join you the next time, okay?"

"Well, I hope you get better soon, Kagome," Eri answered. She waited for a second, but when no answer came, she continued, "Have you already decided when you want to learn maths? I would need to know a few days before."

"Hmmm, not really yet," Kagome answered truthfully. "But I'm sure it won't be for the next two weeks or so."

"You want to study for math only a week?"

"Hehe," Kagome laughed uneasily. "I was thinking more along something like three or four days..."

There was a short silence. "Well, you have to know what you're doing," Eri commented finally.

"I'll call you next week, okay? But I will definitely study with you - thanks again for helping me out!"

"Okay, but don't forget. Bye, Kagome."

"Bye, Eri!" Kagome bid her friend farewell and hung up. She was glad that Eri had asked about math again - the girl was a math genius and at her age already gave private lessons. She would have to think of something to make it up to her - no way would she exploit her friends. Maybe she should invite her to the cinema? Well, everything at its proper time.

She went back into the kitchen. "It was just Eri," she told her mother who still sat at the table. "About school."

She looked after Inuyasha's pan, his second helping looked like it was ready. She noticed that the dishwasher was already running. "Did you start the dishwasher?" she asked her mother.

"Yes, while you were on the phone."

"But you forgot Inuyasha's dish!" Kagome reminded her. "He still has to eat."

Asami smiled. "That's no problem, it will only take a minute to wash it by hand."

"He should do his dishes himself," Kagome grumbled. "Anyway, it looks like his food is warmed up. I'll go get him."

She walked to the living room and stopped in the door, feeling self-conscious. She had irritated Inuyasha, although she hadn't intended to. _'Well, he's still leading the score, I guess,'_ she assured herself and went into the room.

She found Inuyasha and Souta playing some kind of fighting game. _'Would it have been like this if he had grown up in this time?'_ she wondered, observing Inuyasha, a distrustful boy from five hundred years in the past, playing videogames like your average teenager. Although, judging from his mildly annoyed expression, he wasn't faring well against Souta.

"Inuyasha, your food is ready," she told him, loud enough to be sure he heard her.

"Thanks." Inuyasha put down the controller and followed her into the kitchen. Kagome's mother had already prepared his bowl, so he sat down and started to eat.

He ate almost mechanically, not feeling like talking. He had been awake after the fire startled him, but soon after Souta had introduced him that weird device, the tiredness had crept back again. Well, a conversation would likely lead to talking about his strange behavior with the oven, anyway, and he really didn't feel like dealing with that right now.

He guessed that the best would be to leave for his time to avoid unnecessary questions and excuses, but as weak as he was now because of his human form, there might arise other problems. As human, he was a far cry from his usual condition as a hanyou, but today he was even a far cry from his usual form as a human. He would be in _deep_ shit if he ran into an encounter this night.

"If it is okay, I'll stay tonight," he told Kagome's mother, hiding his question in a statement.

"Of course," Asami answered. "I will prepare you –"

"That's not necessary," Inuyasha interrupted. 

"It's no problem," Asami assured. "It's a big house and we have enough room for you to stay overnight."

"I don't intend to sleep," Inuyasha replied and shrugged. "Habit..." he added after a second.

"Inuyasha, I'm sure you're tired," Kagome interjected. "This house is safe, you can trust me."

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Souta asked, his voice full of expectation. He stopped for a second before he continued, "Couldn't you sleep in my room?"

Inuyasha thought about his answer for a few seconds. "Fine," he agreed finally.

Souta laughed excitedly, while Kagome gave her little brother a morose look.

"I'll prepare a futon," Asami announced and left.

"Come on, I'll show you my room!" Souta announced and pulled on Inuyasha's sleeve. He let himself be dragged along. The boy led him up the stairs and into a room that had to be his. It was next to Kagome's.

"This is it!" Souta made clear.

Inuyasha gave the room a quick survey – there were two windows, and no other doors beside the one he had entered. He wondered again how the people in Kagome's time were able to make such enormous, clear glass panels, and in such quantities no less; in his times there were only tales of glass bowls that were said to be in the possession of some noblemen. Anyway, Kagome had once warned him that it broke easily, so it was likely not much protection against an intruder, other than making some noise when being broken. 

"And, what do you think?" Souta wanted to know.

"Looks fine," Inuyasha answered truthfully. The windows didn't take up the whole front of the room, so he should be able to find a safe place. The outer left corner of the room made a trustworthy impression, he had a clear view to the door and the window front didn't reach up to there, so he wouldn't be easy to see or reach from the outside.

"So you like how I set up my room?"

"Err... Sure."

"Don't you think that I need more posters?" Souta inquired.

"No, everything's okay," Inuyasha answered quickly, again not knowing what was meant exactly. It had to be some of the junk in this room, either one of the things that were lying on the floor, leaning against the cupboard or sticking to the wall. Even the bed had small figures lying about.

Souta was already about to continue when his mother entered the room. "Here's your futon, Inuyasha," she said, offering him the folded sleeping mat. "I'm sorry, but we don't have a spare bed."

"That's okay," Inuyasha assured and took the futon out of her hand.

Kagome entered the room as well, leaving Inuyasha with the impression that it was becoming crowded. Souta's room was big for a child's room; in his time, the children had to share a room, sometimes even with their parents. Still, the room wasn't big enough for all the junk and four people. He shrugged and went to unroll the futon.

"Do you want to go to sleep soon?" Kagome asked. "If you're not tired yet, we can watch TV or something."

"We can continue our fight!" Souta announced.

"Definitely not, young man," Asami forbade. "It's bed time, you have to go to school tomorrow."

Souta began to grumble, but Inuyasha ended the looming argument before it could start.

"I'm going to sleep," the hanyou informed them, already kneeling and unrolling the futon. "I don't want to waste time tomorrow."

"I'll get you night clothes," Asami offered, looking relieved.

"Don't need them," Inuyasha objected.

"That's not very hygienic," Asami commented.

"Whatever," Inuyasha answered, turning his head around to look at them. "I won't put away _anything_," he stated and demonstratively tugged Tetsusaiga out of his belt and placed it next to the futon.

"Inuyasha, calm down," Kagome stated evenly. "Mom, his clothes are made of fire rat fur and are a very good armor. He rarely ever takes them off."

Asami gave the two teenagers a pensive look and finally shrugged. "I'm down the kitchen if you need something. Souta, don't forget to brush your teeth!" she reminded and left the room.

"Well, I'll go to sleep, too," Kagome announced, stretching herself. "I've had a long day with school and everything."

"Can't have been too long. You were still asleep when I left for school," Souta reminded.

"Hardly. You were loud enough to waken a marmot," Kagome shot back.

The two siblings glared at each other, reminding Inuyasha of the quarrels with his own brother. Just that he could hardly call those good-natured. More a matter of life and death. _'Could it have been like this?'_ he wondered, watching the two tease each other. Somehow, he couldn't really conjure up images with Kagome and Souta replaced by Sesshoumaru and himself. Most of them were destroyed by various attacks they aimed at each other.

Souta and Kagome left for the bath, still teasing each other. Inuyasha briefly contemplated following them, but instead lay down on his sleeping mat and covered himself with the blanket. For a while, Souta and Kagome's voices faded - likely they were brushing their teeth now. _'Of course I can't hear them without my demon ears,' _he thought, annoyed once again at feeling deaf and blind. Although, that wasn't quite correct, his eyesight worked well enough this time because Kagome's people could easily make light. In his time, the loss of his keen night sight was very hindering as well; especially since his human time had to be during _new _moon, when the night was the darkest. Had to be some god's sick idea of humor.

Well, tomorrow he would have made it for another month. And, realistically, the chances of being ambushed in Kagome's home were almost nil - nobody knew of the time-traveling well, nobody could make out his youki because it completely disappeared whenever he turned human. The Shikon shards were a risk factor, but leaving them in the past was no option, so they had to take them to the house. It shouldn't matter; since that Noh mask no other youkai had attacked. Generally, demons that could detect the shards were pretty rare, and while word of the shards spread very quickly in the past, they were next to unknown in this time.

  


* * * * *

  
"And I won the bet," Souta told Kagome, entering his room. "But no one saw, so the guy keeps denying it," he added with an annoyed tone.

"I'm sure you can beat him again," Kagome assured, giving her brother a pat on the back.

"Anytime!" Souta agreed wholeheartedly. He climbed into his bed, sweeping the figures lying on it to the floor. "Kagome?"

"Yes?"

There were a few seconds of silence. Souta didn't see his sister much lately, something he was slowly growing accustomed to. Still, he really enjoyed it every time he could spend some time with her, reminding him that he indeed missed her. "Good night," he said finally.

"Good night, Souta," Kagome answered evenly.

"Could you turn off the light?"

Kagome smiled. "Sure." She switched it off, causing the light from the corridor to illuminate her figure. "Good night, Inuyasha."

"G'night, Kagome," Inuyasha replied lowly.

She left the room and closed the door from the outside. Souta needed a couple of seconds to adapt to the darkness. A bit light entered the room through the window, so it wasn't impossible to see, something that was kind of important if he wanted to leave the room or at least reach the light switch. Not that he didn't know his room inside out, but he didn't want to ruin his toys by accidentally stepping on them.

"Inuyasha?" he asked after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Did Kagome offend you in the kitchen?" he asked slowly.

"No," Inuyasha answered after a second. "No, I was only surprised for a moment."

"Because of the fire?"

"Yeah."

Souta nodded, although he couldn't follow why Inuyasha would be afraid of a gas oven. "Are you scared of fire?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted beside him from the floor. "You stupid or something?"

"Then why did you jump back?" Souta asked curiously.

Inuyasha didn't answer immediately. "I'm just... wary," the hanyou explained after a few seconds of silence. "I didn't know that there would be a flame, so I was startled by it. During my human time, I'm always a bit jumpy."

Souta thought about that. "So it was only overreaction?"

"Something like that."

Souta's thoughts drifted for a while. He had felt kinda awkward, unknowing how to act around Kagome or Inuyasha. The Playstation had helped with that, giving him - and likely Inuyasha, too - something else to concentrate on. He had explained the concept to Inuyasha, who had picked it up well enough. The hanyou still had some problems with controlling the game and often pressed the wrong buttons, but Souta guessed that it was okay for someone who had never done anything remotely similar. _'He.'_

  
"I guess that should be long enough," he suddenly heard Inuyasha say. He saw the hanyou stand up and wander into the corner of the room.

"What's going on?" Souta asked surprised. He saw Inuyasha sit back against the wall, melting into the shadows - the hanyou had chosen the only corner that the light from the window didn't reach. Souta strained his eyes and could faintly see the outlines of the hanyou and the sword leaning against his shoulder.

"Nobody will look in anymore... If I stay on that comfortable mattress, I'll fall asleep for sure."

"Don't you want to?"

"New moon," Inuyasha answered curtly.

"You don't sleep during the new moon?" Souta asked to make sure.

"Never."

"Then why the futon? And Kagome and Mum -"

"Look, Souta," Inuyasha interrupted. "I don't want to sleep tonight. But Kagome wants to do me a favor by providing me with a place where I can be at peace. I don't want to frustrate her, so as long as she thinks that I'm here, sleeping peacefully, everyone's satisfied."

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do?"

The hanyou muttered something under his breath, but he couldn't understand it. _'Was it a yawn?'_ Souta wondered.

"Yes, I'm sure," Inuyasha answered finally. "Kagome has had this weird mood all day, trying to make my human time easier for me. Well, I don't think I would be here if she hadn't invited me, so I guess it was for the better... Sure was one of my most relaxed human times." Inuyasha paused, only an even intake of breath audible. Souta tried to get a look at the hanyou, but couldn't make out much in the darkness.

"But," Inuyasha continued, "here is where I draw the line. As long as you don't tell, Kagome won't know."

"It's okay, I won't give you away," Souta assured him. He felt kinda strange, being drawn into the matter although he hadn't intended to. _'Well, if Inuyasha thinks it's better like this, I guess he is right,'_ Souta thought; after all, Inuyasha had been around Kagome a lot, so he had to know what he was doing. 

He wondered if the hanyou was still angry with Kagome, or if they had had another argument. _'Maybe Inuyasha doesn't want to deal with Kagome because of that?'_ Souta wondered. He wasn't sure if he should ask, but finally his curiosity got the better of him.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you angry with Kagome?"

"I told you I'm _not._" Inuyasha stated curtly. 

"You don't have to be ashamed," Souta assured. "I also don't like it when Kagome laughs at me."

"Keh! I wasn't angry," Inuyasha repeated. "More - doesn't matter." 

"So you're not angry with Kagome? I know she can be annoying sometimes, but she's okay."

"Hmm," Inuyasha hummed in a low tone. "Anyway, it was just a short... misunderstanding." The hanyou was silent for a second. "It was - petty. Let's leave it at that."

"It looked pretty cool," Souta said, trying to lighten the atmosphere a bit. "I don't know why Kagome laughed."

"Thanks," Inuyasha grumbled.

Souta wasn't sure what the hanyou had meant exactly, but he was glad that Inuyasha and Kagome weren't angry with each other. He wouldn't have liked that. Feeling content with that, he turned to one side, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. "Good night, Inuyasha."

"Night."

__

'It's pretty cool that Inuyasha is staying in my room,' Souta thought. _'I guess Kagome is a bit envious. Well, she spends a lot of time with him, anyway.'_ And how would it look like if the two slept together in the same room? They were just friends, after all.

All in all, it had been a great day. He had won the bet with Kihei, he had gotten to see his idiot sister, and he had beaten Inuyasha on his Playstation. Tomorrow, he should try to catch Kagome and Inuyasha before they left to say good-bye. And he guessed that he should challenge Kihei again, but he was sure that he could make it. _'If the coward doesn't chicken out!'_

He turned onto his other side, coming to lie on his stomach. _'I have to sleep!'_ he told himself. Tomorrow he had a lot of classes, and also intended to meet with friends in the afternoon.

For the next minutes, he did his best to hold still and try to sleep. _'Maybe it's because of Inuyasha?'_ he wondered when he was growing bored again. The rhythmic intakes of breath were unfamiliar compared to the silence he was used to. _'Has to be pretty boring to sit against the wall all night,'_ Souta thought with sympathy. _'Well, I'm pretty much the same.'_ The only difference between him and Inuyasha was the bed he was lying in.

He turned to the other side again, facing the blank wall. _'I should put a poster there,'_ Souta pondered. Somehow, he found that he was becoming more awake than tired.

After another eternity of staring into space, he finally gave up. _'It's no use...'_ And, how often did Inuyasha camp in his room? It could be forever until that happened again.

"Inuyasha?" he asked quietly, intending to kill some time.

When he got no answer, he asked a bit louder. "Inuyasha?"

Again, no answer. He sat up and crawled forward to the end of his bed, wanting to get a better look. _'Is he sleeping?'_ he wondered when he saw that Inuyasha had his eyes closed and wasn't moving. "Inuyasha?"

__

'He's really sleeping!' Souta finally realized. What was with all the 'I don't sleep tonight'? _'Well, he looked kinda tired all evening.'_ Especially when he had been eating; he had just stared into his bowl all the time. 

__

'Isn't it uncomfortable to sit against the wall?' Souta wondered about Inuyasha's sleeping position. Maybe he should wake him, so he could lie down on the futon again. _'The sword against his shoulder also has to annoy him,'_ Souta thought, his eyes staying locked on the katana. Unlike some of his friends, he had never held a sword in his hand. His mother hadn't any in the house, and at other places it had only been wooden swords. _'What would it be like to hold one?'_

In his imagination, he already played around with it like the guys in his favorite action movies. Making up his mind, he crawled over the bed towards Inuyasha.

  


* * * * *

  
Kagome woke up by a suddenly cut off cry. "Souta!?" she asked into the ensuing silence, unsure if she hadn't just been awoken by a dream. Having a queasy feeling, she got up and walked out of her room towards her brother's.

She opened the door a bit and peered through the slit, not seeing much in the darkness. "Everything okay?" When she heard Souta cough, she opened the door further and switched on the light.

Kagome stared at the sight that greeted her. Souta lay on the floor in a curled position, clutching his right arm to his body. Inuyasha stood next to him, looking down at her brother wide-eyed. Her brother coughed again, a choking sound ringing in it, followed by a quick gasp. "Souta, are you okay!?!" she asked quickly. She kneeled down next to him, but instead of an answering Souta coughed more violently.

She wanted to help him, but didn't even know what was wrong with her brother. "What happened?" she asked urgently, looking up towards Inuyasha.

"I... I think I - dislocated his arm," Inuyasha stuttered. He reached out towards Souta, but retracted his arm when Asami entered the room.

She rushed to her son's side when she caught sight of him. "Souta, what is wrong with you?" Souta coughed something what his mother mostly didn't understand, judged by the questioning look she shot Inuyasha.

The hanyou's face hardened. "I... apologize," Inuyasha admitted in a flat voice and stormed out of the room.


	20. Chapter 19: The Definition of Trust

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**  
Author Notes:**  
Happy Easter, everyone! It's been two months again - time sure passes quickly. The long wait is basically because of the same stuff as last time - work and studying. I really hope to get more time for writing soon - if I continue at this pace, I won't complete this story before I'm old and bald.

Anyway, every once in a while something happens that makes me abandon everything and just write on this story. This time it was a review by Tsu-chan for _The White Dog_, which I noticed when I reviewed the story myself (must have been sometime around the beginning of March). It basically said the White Dog is her favorite story, but mine is close behind :). I guess the chance of me finding it has to be about one to one million; considering that TWD is my favorite Inuyasha story, too, I was really encouraged when I read it.

About the last chapter, my main inspiration for writing this scene were other stories. In many, Inuyasha is this paranoid killing machine unable to sleep around anyone, but as soon Kagome appears the problem is solved. That always stroke me as kinda simplistic and even a waste of an interesting setting.

I have to say I'm kinda sorry for the last cliffhanger - I really try to avoid them as far as possible (unlike many authors, I don't believe in ending every chapter with a cliffhanger). I guess it has its advantages, but it's not my kind of thing. But with the last chapter, it really offered itself for two reasons: ending a chapter that had become too long, and illustrating Kagome's short moment of confusion. Anyway, I guess it was a really evil way to end a chapter...

The title epigraph is from "Trust," an Anime Music Video about Rurouni Kenshin. Great stuff, but watch out, it's not for people with a weak stomach. (Bloody and stuff.)

**Reviews revisited:**

_Theoretically Metephorical_ - Hmm, thanks for telling me you like my writing. There are a few things I'd like to be able to do better, but I guess everyone has... Anyway, I hope you weren't caught printing out the chapters. :)

_Holly_ - You were one of the few, who thought about what else could have happened to Souta. I agree that much worse could have happened (if I had wanted to, ...).

_RedHerring_ - Giving Inuyasha a break? Hmm, I don't think so. It much more prefer tantalizing him like this. :) Although, I think I'm being relatively nice in this chapter.

_Daniel-Gudman_ - Hmm, I hadn't thought about the tone of the fic, but thinking over it, I guess it is indeed becoming darker. Maybe it also has to do that I'm slowly learning to write and it's getting more serious?  
I guess the last chapter wasn't too thrilling, but I mainly wanted to set up a relaxed atmosphere. And I had to flesh out Asami and Souta, so they aren't just bystanders. Somehow, I'd also been really curious about writing Inuyasha's transformation ;)  
As you said, you can't twist someone's arm out without knowing what to do. It's interesting how most people jumped to the conclusion of everything having happened out of reflex...

_Admiral Biatch_ - Well, I guess you read it above, this time I intentionally stopped with a cliffhanger. I hope it wasn't too evil ;) Anyway, I hope you find time continuing to read this besides Love Hina Fics.

_Rabidus-Inasnum_ - LOL, I can understand - rereading fics isn't the same as reading them the first time. I guess I can be glad you even spend time on my story once more... :)

_Silver Dragon 2488 -_ I guess it's good that people remember my last chapter even after two months of waiting. Hope you haven't forgotten this time, too! Sadly, it's turned out to be almost two months again...

_Mockingbird917_ - I agree that Souta stabbing himself would have been too believable. At least, I don't think little boys wanting to play with dangerous weapons is something extraordinary. I hope the two months really weren't too long and that I'll hear from you.

_Calendar_ - Judging from your review, you liked the last chapter. Although, did you really hope that I'd let them have a nice evening? ;) I hope I'm not being too evil to everyone - to tell the truth, I already left out a few details... Well, I hope I'll be able to keep the balance.

_Lilemmy_ - Thanks for your review. It's good to know that at least some people like my long chapters. I always enjoyed those long stories the most, too, so I guess I'm trying to recreate this feeling for my own readers. About my English, I'm very dependent on beta-reading, there's hardly ever a paragraph without one or two suggested changes... Although, I guess in the end it's most important to get the message across ;)

_AmunRa_ - Nice to hear from you again! I guess you've read many IY fanfictions till now, so I guess I've lost my bonus :) It looks like you kinda noticed I spent extra detail on the transformation, I was really itching to try my hand on it. I don't know why exactly, maybe because I hardly ever read about it in most fics?  
I also used to search for stories by length, but I recently didn't spend much time on reading - writing takes up most of the time I spend on written word. I checked your profile, and it seems you also have two long stories on your hands (sadly, Yu-Gi-Oh, which I don't know). Good to see that at least you were able to keep reading, too :)

_Jenbunny_ - Well, as you guessed, the incident leads to a somewhat uneasy situation between Inuyasha, Kagome and her family. Don't want to say any more ;) I'm glad that you like the story, it's always good motivation to read that people like it and even place it on their favorites. Also, thanks for your understanding for my update schedule (if you can even call it that).

_Anandria_ - I see you paid attention - a lot of people just pushed the incident on Inuyasha's reflexes. Actually, I always hate when people are able to anticipate me, but I guess I have to live with a few attentive readers :)

_Tamababymiko-chan_ - Really cool to hear from you! Must have been half a year I last heard from you! I hope your computer will work from now on (must really suck to be without one...)  
Looks like you were able to read a lot of chapters in one go (definitely has it merits). Thanks for giving me a collection of your favorite moments. I guess the Inuyasha teasing Sango scene is one of my favorites too, although I've really beginning to doubt my abilities at writing romance ;) Or maybe just my patience, relationships need to be written really carefully, without progressing the plot I'm not making much progress with, anyway.  
Finally, both Kikyou and Kouga won't make it into the fic for a while. I don't even have a good idea for Kikyou's entrance yet, so she'll either appear on a sudden inspiration or maybe not at all. Right now IY&Co have enough problems to deal with, anyway :) I hope to read from you!

_Renangel_ - Interesting you were reminded of the Inu and Sessh eating together scene - I hadn't thought about it. I hope it means everything is in character, if it even fits together with scenes I didn't connect with it :)

_mYystical dre4m_ - Well, the chapter was mostly setup and introducing Asami and Souta to the readers. I guess it didn't have too much action, but I don't think I could have bypassed everything. Anyway, I think I'm picking up the pace in this chapter, so I hope you like it.

_Sotamaru_ - Okay, I admit the last cliffhanger was kinda mischievous. I usually really try to manage without them, but sometimes I can't help myself, too :) It's good that you like the long chapters better, although they're sometimes too long for you - it makes me hope there is some reason in not making them shorter.

_Bluefuzzyelf_ - You're right, I wouldn't want to introduce myself like that, either ;) Judging from your review, I was able to create a situation without a definite guilty person or party, what's exactly what I intended.

**Disclaimer:**  
I'm really running out of ideas here. Always making the same jokes is boring, but just a "not mine", too. Anyone having ideas?**Special thanks to:**  
First, to _Tsu-chan_. The first thousands words of the conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome are dedicated to you, because they were written in the wake of your review.  
But most importantly, to _Xue_ for doing an outstanding job at betaing. I rate a beta'd chapter by the found faults, and it looked really well (if somewhat disillusioning because of all the red ;)). Thanks especially for the last tip about Kagome, I tinkered around a bit and I hope it's better now.

* * *

**  
Chapter 19**

_  
Firm reliance on the integrity, ability and character of another person ****_

(The Definition of) Trust

Kagome stared after Inuyasha. _'He can't just run away!'_ she thought, perplexed. "Inuyasha!" she cried after him.

"Kagome, what happened?" her mother shouted to her, face full of worry.

Kagome was torn between going after the hanyou and helping her brother, but quickly decided on the latter. Breathing in, she pushed her worries aside, something she had grown terribly accustomed to. "Inuyasha said that he dislocated his arm," she explained, looking down at her brother. He again coughed violently and winced when his body shook from it..

"He _what_!?" Asami shouted even louder.

"I don't know if he was sure, but that's what he said," Kagome answered, trying desperately to decide what to do. Her brother still lay on his side in a curved position, cradling the obviously injured arm, and his breathing didn't seem to be getting any better, either.

"Then why is he coughing like this!?!"

"Mum, I _don't know_!" Kagome shouted back. Not knowing how to handle the situation, she first tried to make breathing easier for her brother, as it was the immediate problem. "Did you swallow something?" she asked him, hoping to find out why her brother was coughing in the first place.

Souta shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. He wanted to answer, but another cough interrupted him.

"Souta, how can we help you?" Asami asked more collectedly, finally aware that Kagome didn't know any more than her. The only thing that came to her mind was to turn her son on his back to make breathing easier for him. She reached down, but midways someone caught hold of her wrist. She pulled for a moment, but to no avail, and angrily whipped her head around.

"Don't make it worse," Inuyasha stated, kneeling down beside her. He released her after a second, so she decided to bow to necessity and go with his advice. "What do you intend to do with those?" she asked, pointing at the towels the hanyou had with him.

"I've soaked the towels in cold water, his shoulder needs cooling," Inuyasha explained in a flat voice. He took hold of Souta's pajamas and ripped them open around the shoulder, taking care to put as little strain as possible on the hurt shoulder. Souta gritted his teeth, causing Asami to grab Inuyasha's arm and restrain him this time.

"Wait for a second," Asami ordered. "Kagome, get the icepack from the freezer. And the bandage scissors; they're in the first aid kit."

Kagome shook herself out of the stupor she had fallen into when Inuyasha had returned. Nodding, she jumped up and dashed out of the room.

"Scratch that, get the damned first aid kit!" Asami called after her daughter, hoping that she heard her. She turned back towards Inuyasha and watched him lay the folded towel on Souta's exposed shoulder. Her son coughed again, and she had to refrain from pushing Inuyasha aside. Right now, he _was_ helping her son, and he was the only one who knew what had happened besides Souta himself.

"What do those coughs mean?" she asked urgently. "I'll call the ambulance if they go on like this!"

"They aren't the problem, come only from a stunning blow," Inuyasha explained quickly. "He should be... breathing normally in a minute." He kept his head down, eyes fixed on Souta's shoulder.

Asami looked at her son again, not feeling much relieved. At least it seemed like the hanyou was right, Souta's coughs _had_ gotten less frequent. The boy had also uncurled a bit, as if breathing was getting easier.

Kagome rushed into the room, first-aid kit in her right hand, icepack in her left. She kneeled down opposite from Inuyasha and handed him the pack. Inuyasha took it and examined it for a second before he removed the towel and carefully applied the new item, keeping it in place with his hand.

"Put a shirt or something between, otherwise it's too cold," Asami told Inuyasha curtly. While the hanyou followed her advice, she took the bandage scissors out of the box and slid the blunt end under Souta's pajamas to finally cut the shirt in two.

"We should wait until his breathing is okay," Inuyasha suggested. "Until then leave him be, he knows best how to... get air." He moved into a sitting position from his kneeling one, keeping his attention fixed on holding the pack in place.

"Souta, do you want something? Perhaps a glass of water?" Kagome asked, feeling kind of left out.

Souta shook his head. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, turning on his back. Luckily, Inuyasha sat on his right side, or he would have had to let go of the cooling pack during Souta's movement.

Asami's abandoned her plan to finally inquire about what had happened, shifting her attention to her son. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, hoping that her voice was steadier than it sounded to her.

Souta nodded almost imperceptibly. "Shoulder... hurts," he admitted quietly.

Inuyasha swallowed, obviously louder than he had intended to. "You should... see a healer," he explained. "I'm not sure if I can... put it back in place, and I think sometimes it doesn't... heal right."

Asami paled. _'Doesn't heal right?'_ she thought frightened, horrific visions of a disabled son running through her head. Panicking, she ordered, "Kagome, help me get Souta ready! We have to take him to the hospital!" Inuyasha also wanted to help, but pulled back when Asami shot him a glare.

Together, they fixed the pack to Souta's shoulder, taking care not to hurt him. Kagome noticed that her brother was sweating. _'What the hell happened here?'_ she wondered again. In a free moment, she looked up to ask Inuyasha what this was all about.

The hanyou was gone.

----------

Kagome closed the car door, giving Souta an encouraging look through the window. _'At least, I hope it looked a bit enouraging...'_ She looked away, her sight straying to her grandfather sitting on the backseat; the old man had awoken when they had helped Souta down the stairs and insisted on accompanying them to the hospital, confident that he could be of help. She heard a door being opened behind her and turned around. Her mother hurried out of the house, to the car. Asami was still keeping closemouthed, unsettling Kagome even further.

"You sure I shouldn't come along?" Kagome asked once again.

"Yes, I can handle _them_ on my own," Asami assured, obviously not happy with the old man coming along.

Kagome nodded, still not really convinced. "I'll try to wring some answers out of Inuyasha," she offered instead. Souta had completely refused to talk, so they still didn't know what had happened. Although they had told him that it wasn't his fault and he didn't have to be afraid, the boy kept silent, and they hadn't been able to convince him to do otherwise.

Her mother shot her a careful look, obviously pondering her reply. "Watch out," Asami stated finally and sat behind the steering wheel.

_'She doesn't mean -'_ Kagome thought, perplexed, but her mother's set look had told her otherwise. Her mother _was_ telling her to watch out for Inuyasha. _'Inuyasha wouldn't hurt me!'_ she thought resolutely.

Her look fell on Souta's bandaged arm and the guarded, abashed look he gave her.

_'He wouldn't...'_

The red lights of the car vanished into the night.

----------

The bark of the tree dug into his back, but he didn't try to find a better position. He deserved far worse. He had attacked Kagome's brother - a child!

"Dammit!" Inuyasha shouted, grabbing for a stone. He cursed when he didn't find one immediately; he had to grope in the dark for a second before he found one he could throw like all the others. He heard it hit something, thanks to his useless ears not clearly enough to make out what. _'Probably Tetsusaiga - has to lie somewhere in that area.'_

He settled back against the tree, thinking about what to do. _Trying _to figure out what to do - he didn't have the slightest idea. The glare of Kagome's mother was still present before his inner eye - the look that had clearly told him to get lost. He couldn't blame her for it. Who would want someone like him near their family? _'Has to be the reason parents didn't want their children to play with me,'_ Inuyasha thought bitterly.

What would Kagome think of him? He could see her in his mind, looking at him accusingly, angry. _'How could you?'_ Hate in her voice, betrayal in her eyes. And he had absolutely no explanation, no excuse to give. "I'm sorry," he thought aloud, tasting the words. _'Hollow.'_ They wouldn't help Souta. They wouldn't change anything.

----------

"Inuyasha!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. No answer.

She had checked the house and every corner of the garden, to no avail. Now she stood at the stairs of the only place left to check - the well house. Her back to the entrance, she gave the yard a last look. "Inuyasha!"

Getting no answer, she turned around and entered the shrine. As she had guessed, he wasn't in there, either. She walked to the well and paused for a second, peering into the gaping darkness. The memory of the car lights appeared before her, slowly disappearing in the night. "Damn!" she shouted, hitting the well with her palm. She closed her eyes, but the images wouldn't leave her. Souta squirmed before her on the floor and cried, holding his shoulder.

She opened her eyes, hoping to push away the memories with it. All of a sudden she felt incredibly tired. She had hoped to take some of Inuyasha's fear from him, showing him what ordinary human life looked like in a time where no one had to be afraid of youkai. Instead... _this_. Had she gambled with her brother's life? Even with her family's? "It's his fault..." she mumbled.

She calmed down a bit, staring into the well again. _'It is his fault.'_ Who would have guessed something like this would happen? When you invited friends into your home, you didn't count on them attacking your family. _'He is my friend, isn't he?'_ He had said so himself, and she felt the same and more for him. _'Then why isn't he here?'_ A friend was there when you needed him, not off without saying anything, forcing her to waste time searching for him.

And she _had_ searched - every room of her house, even checked all the hiding places she knew from playing with her brother. _'What if he isn't in the past?'_ she thought suddenly. If she didn't find Inuyasha in the past, it could be that he had adventured into the city alone - the gods knew what kind of trouble he might get into. Despite youkai and other dangers, he might be better off in the past, where he at least knew the run of things.

_'Now I'm worrying for him,' _she thought, angry at both herself and Inuyasha. She should worry for Souta, and instead... She gritted her teeth. She was tired, but not enough to stand there moping when there was something she could do. She climbed over the edge and jumped into the well, finding herself with the view of a cloudless sky above her after a second. Knowing the small grips and protrusions by heart, she quickly climbed out of the well despite the darkness. "Inuyasha?" she shouted after she made it up. When she got no answer, she looked around, but couldn't make out anything in the moonless night. The dim light of the stars was mostly blocked by the surrounding forest.

But she had counted on that, this wasn't her first time in the past. She took the flashlight she had brought with her and turned it on.

The forest made her wary at night. She always felt like something was lurking out there - in her opinion an understandable reaction to having her life endangered by youkai and oni and other creatures which she had thought to exist only in fairy tales not long ago. She let her flashlight wander around, but the cone of light was small and she felt like she was exposing herself.

She felt observed.

----------

Inuyasha heard a faint noise coming from the well. _'Kagome?'_ He couldn't see her, not even the outline of the well, but he could hear her breathing, heavier than usual from climbing out of the well. _'She'll find me here!'_ But maybe that was why he sat there in the first place?

"Inuyasha?" he heard her shout.

_'She's really come, huh?'_ He wanted to call her, but the words didn't want to leave his mouth. Finally, a ray of light suddenly appeared from her hand, obviously from one of her futuristic devices. Inuyasha heart skipped a beat, and another when the light suddenly swept in his direction.

----------

Kagome heard something rustling to her left, making her flinch. She turned around abruptly, the arc of light sweeping along trees until her eyes caught a flash of red. She stopped and leveled her flashlight, finding the now human Inuyasha. He sat against a tree, holding up a hand to shield his eyes.

"Is this your idea of hiding?" she asked heatedly, getting over her initial surprise. She searched for him everywhere, and he just sat here and didn't even answer her when she called for him the hundredth time.

Inuyasha moved his hand away, narrowing his eyes against the brightness before his gaze evaded the flashlight. "I don't know," he admitted after a while, his voice slow and unsteady.

Kagome didn't know how to take his answer. _'Is nothing making sense tonight?'_

"What is it then?" she asked finally.

Inuyasha was silent for a second, looking at Kagome. "Could you turn that off?" he asked then, moving his hand into the way of the light once more.

Kagome moved the ray of light next to him, but didn't turn it off. "Answer me, Inuyasha! What is this all about?" she asked, barely keeping her voice under control. "Everything's peaceful, and suddenly we have to take Souta to the hospital. He's my _brother_!"

Inuyasha flinched under her voice. She didn't sound exactly angry, more confused. The way her voice had cracked made him feel more guilty than any accusation she could hurl at him. He couldn't see her face with the flashlight still pointed near him, but he could imagine her betrayed look well enough.

"I... I -" he broke off, suddenly desperate to explain himself. "It just happened so quickly - then it was already too late." His shoulders sagged; feeling embarrassed, Inuyasha fell silent.

Kagome calmed down a bit. If she had heard a lame excuse now, she thought she might have slapped him. "I believe you," she stated seriously. She took a deep breath, thinking about her next words. She really couldn't believe that Inuyasha would hurt Souta intentionally. Although he wasn't acquainted with the concept of family, Inuyasha seemed to respect it - he had never been outright rude to her family. He had also stopped Sango from killing her own brother, a decision he had had to face himself with Sesshoumaru. Where Sango had chosen to end her brother's life, Inuyasha had chosen to let his brother live. She was quite sure of that - at least when Inuyasha had learned the Kaze no Kizu, he had really pulled his strike.

She went closer and crouched down in front of him. "I believe you, but an excuse can't make it undone."

Inuyasha grimaced, clenching his fist. "I know that."

"Then tell me what happened. I want to know!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "What would that change?"

Kagome bristled at the answer. "Inuyasha, I'm still pretty angry with you, but I want to hear what you have to say on the matter. I want to know what happened. I have a damn right to know, and you _will_ tell me!"

Inuyasha looked up, right into her eyes. They stared at each other for a second, before Inuyasha smirked lopsidedly.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha stood up, looking serious all of a sudden. "Calm down, I'll tell you."

Kagome gave him a suspicious look. "I'm listening."

"How about we sit down against the well?" Inuyasha asked, looking around himself. "I don't feel safe around here." He didn't feel safe for Kagome's sake. The nearer the well, the better.

"We can go back to my time," Kagome suggested.

"No."

"Inuyasha, you said yourself that it's not safe here," Kagome reasoned.

"No."

"Fine," Kagome sighed, taking the lead over to the well. Inuyasha's voice was definite, so she thought she wouldn't be able to convince him now. _'I guess he has to calm down first.'_ It should be safe - if someone should really disturb them, she thought they could make it down the well quickly enough.

She sat down against it, leaving enough space for Inuyasha to take a place next to her. The hanyou followed her intention. After he made himself comfortable, he switched off the flashlight lying between them, surprising Kagome. "What was that for?" she asked, startled.

"We're like a beacon in the night," Inuyasha answered. "You don't need light to understand me, do you?"

"Okay," she agreed, not wanting to be drawn into a lengthy discussion about the flashlight, and accepted sitting in the dark for now. Although she thought she would rather see if something was attacking them, she guessed Inuyasha had more experience in that regard. "What happened?"

Inuyasha thought about how to start. He guessed he could be glad that Kagome was even willing to hear him out, so he should stop beating around the bush. "Basically, I fell asleep," he began. "I intended to stay awake, but I guess I was too tired."

"You agreed to stay overnight with no intention of sleeping, didn't you?" Kagome realized.

"Yes. Kagome, since I can remember, I have never slept as a human. It's usually no problem to stay up for a night..."

"You should have told me! You know, I wouldn't have forced you."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," Inuyasha admitted.

Kagome almost laughed bitterly. He didn't want to disappoint her, and rather hurt her brother. "I guess in the future I'd rather have you disappoint me."

"Keh! I couldn't know that would happen," Inuyasha countered. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "As I said, I've never slept as a human, and so was never _awoken_ as a human."

"Souta woke you up?"

"He tried to take Tetsusaiga."

"What?" Kagome inquired, stupefied. After a second, her surprise turned to anger. "You almost rip off Souta's arm just because he tried to take your stupid sword from you?"

"Hell, no!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes, cursing silently that the flashlight was turned off. She couldn't make out Inuyasha's features, making it even harder for her to understand just what he was trying to tell her. "What do you me? That you had reason for this - that Souta attacked and you defended yourself?!" she asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Well, he -"

"Inuyasha, stop lying!" Kagome shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Souta would _never_ attack you!"

"I didn't say he did!" Inuyasha shot back. "Do you want to hear my version or not?"

"I want to hear the truth!"

"Then _stop interrupting me_!" Inuyasha bellowed, finally losing his calm. A silence ensued, until Inuyasha could make out a quiet sniffle. "Kagome?" he asked uncertainly. _'Great, now you made her cry!'_ he cursed at himself. "Oi, Kagome."

"What did you - Why?" she brought out in a raspy voice.

"Hey... I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for hurting your brother, and for yelling at you." Inuyasha hoped to calm her down; he hadn't intended yell at her, but his nerves were pretty strained. He could deal with a lot, but not with being called a liar, not right now. Well, he guessed he had worded it in a bad way, with his special talent for explaining himself. "Kagome, I swear I didn't want to hurt your brother."

Kagome swallowed hard. "Inuyasha, I don't understand what you want to tell me. Not at all. One minute it's Souta's fault, the next he didn't do anything."

Inuyasha didn't answer immediately. Kagome's nerves were at least as ragged as his. She was likely tired, exhausted from helping her brother and still upset over his outburst. Before hadn't been good, but if he screwed up now, the whole scene would turn really ugly. He took a deep breath, hoping to concentrate as well as possible. "Souta didn't attack me. I know that now, but I didn't even know it was him... when he startled me awake."

He paused for a second, waiting in case Kagome wanted to ask something. She stayed silent, but at least it seemed like she was listening. "It was too dark to see more than silhouettes and I couldn't smell him - I didn't recognize him at all."

"So you attacked without thinking?"

Inuyasha didn't know how to take the strangely neutral tone of her voice, wondering what was going on now. "Kagome, when I can't smell someone, it means he is powerful enough to conceal his damn scent from me."

"But you're human, Inuyasha! You couldn't have smelled him like you can as a hanyou," Kagome interjected.

"Try to realize that when you wake up from somebody drawing a weapon at you! Even worse, your own."

Kagome let Inuyasha's words work in her head. The situation they were painting got more unfortunate by the second. If Inuyasha hadn't been human, none of it would have happened. If he hadn't fallen asleep, if Tetsusaiga hadn't caught Souta's interest, then Inuyasha would have stayed overnight peacefully. If Souta hadn't brought up the idea to let Inuyasha sleep in his room, if she hadn't held him back when he had wanted to return to his time...

"Kagome, when someone stealthy enough to stalk me points a sword at me, I'm defending my very life," Inuyasha said urgently, startling her out of her thoughts.

Kagome was startled by the serious tone of his voice, before she thought over his words and came to a sudden realization. "Inuyasha, before you said Souta drew Tetsusaiga, and now you say he pointed it at you."

"Yes."

"Then some time passed between you waking up and attacking," Kagome reasoned.

"Yes," Inuyasha repeated in a darker tone.

"Then you didn't act out of reflex!" Kagome shouted, feeling lied to once more. "You damn well planned it!"

"Do you think that makes it easier?" Inuyasha suddenly roared. "Yes, I planned it! Yes, I _chose_ to hurt him!"

Startled into silence, Kagome faintly saw Inuyasha jump up.

"I fucking waited for the best moment, and then I dislocated his sword arm without second thought. I knew that the blow to his stomach would knock him out and that the coughs would hurt his shoulder. I sneered _'Now it's my turn, bastard!'_ when I picked up the sword he dropped!"

Kagome switched on the flashlight, catching sight of Inuyasha. His eyes looked sad, but his face was a mask of pure fury. He suddenly seemed to realize she saw him and spun around.

"I did all that and I _wanted_ to!" he shouted, his back turned to her. "I can't take back any of it."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha's back, not knowing what to say. The picture of Inuyasha sneering at Souta like his usual enemy flashed through her mind. _'Souta! He has to be really disturbed by it!'_ She found herself reminded of her first meeting with Inuyasha - she knew that the hanyou could be scarier by taunting than by threatening. _'So be a good little girl and hand over the Shikon no Tama - unless you'd rather feel the caress of my claws.'_ The edge in his light voice had left no question that he was deadly serious.

Knowing that Souta had had to face this side of Inuyasha, too, made her worry for her brother. Had he been too scared to tell her or her mother about what had happened? It had to be unsettling to have the one who had mercilessly attacked him attending to the injury.

This brought her thoughts back to Inuyasha. He didn't take it lightly - he was upset like she hadn't seen him often. It had to be hard on him, too - he had always been excluded because people were scared of him, and now the same was happening in her home. And he was blaming himself, more than she would have imagined. Instead of making up excuses as he sometimes liked to - uttering a "Keh!" and explaining how it wasn't his fault - he seemingly didn't even take Souta's part in the happenings into consideration.

She looked up; Inuyasha had been standing still in front of her all the time. She wondered what he was thinking right now. Was he still blaming himself? Was he embarrassed, or afraid that she would use the spell? She didn't even know if the prayer beads even worked on him as a human. It didn't matter, she didn't feel like finding out, anyway. Somehow she felt better, now that she at least knew what had happened. Knowing nothing had been the worst, with doubts gnawing at her consciousness.

"Why don't you sit down again?" she asked, making up her mind.

Inuyasha turned azround, a perplexed look coming over his face. "What?"

_'I guess that was kinda sudden...'_ Kagome thought to herself. Still, she didn't want to continue talking with his back turned on her. "I asked if you want to sit down again."

"Aren't... Aren't you _angry_?" He couldn't understand her - he knew how it felt to have one's family attacked. Only recently, when he had met Eiji, he maybe wouldn't have left the old man alive if Kagome hadn't been around.

Kagome sighed. "I've been scared, angry, hurt and surprised. But right now, knowing all the details..."

"Then you've... forgiven me?"

"I - I don't know," Kagome answered truthfully. "But I'm not angry right now."

After a second, Inuyasha sat down, closer to her than the last time.

"Thanks..." Inuyasha said uneasily. "How is Souta doing?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Mama took him to the hospital. Jii-chan is with them, too," Kagome answered, noticing Inuyasha flinch slightly when she mentioned her grandfather. "I hope Souta is okay, he didn't want to say anything."

"Guess I scared him, huh," Inuyasha said more to himself than to Kagome.

"You can say that," Kagome agreed. "About what you said earlier: will Souta be okay?" She was sure that the doctors in her time could help her brother better than Inuyasha knew, but his revelation that Souta might have lasting damage had unsettled her.

"I... I'm not sure," Inuyasha admitted. "I'm not even sure if cooling was really the right thing to do."

"No?" Kagome asked, stupefied. "You mean you just _tried_?"

"Not exactly... This sometimes happens. I don't know where I know from, or if I'm really right, but so far this... feeling has never failed me." He sighed, feeling like an idiot with his inability to describe it.

Kagome looked at him. "I don't think I understand what you mean."

"This - This thought... to cool the shoulder appeared suddenly, out of nothing," Inuyasha tried again.

"So, do you know how Souta will heal?"

"No..." Inuyasha answered hesitantly. "I guess it has to do with the memory gap. I don't know how he will heal, but I've learned to trust those... intuitions. The stunning blow was similar to the one I gave Miroku when Sango stole Tetsusaiga, only stronger - I don't think it will be dangerous. But about the shoulder... I thought I could put it back in place, but I had a bad... feeling."

Kagome felt a bit better. "With our doctors and medicine, I hope Souta's shoulder will be okay..." She drifted off, gaping at him. "Wait, that means you remember parts of your past! Not just things that happen out of reflex."

"Well, not exactly remembering. Something like that, I guess."

"And if you try to concentrate on these... thoughts, can't you find more?" Kagome inquired.

"No," Inuyasha answered slowly. "I'm not sure if I want to."

"You don't want to?"

"I've told you before that I don't like using this... Hell, I don't know what to call it... Be it in a fight or afterwards. Stuff like that always happens when I do."

Kagome took in Inuyasha's face. He looked set, and remembering what she knew about it, she had to admit that he had a point. He had thrown Miroku, lost control with Eiji and with the dog demons and now... "Do you mean you used this... skill of yours on Souta?"

"Yes."

A shiver ran down Kagome's spine at the final tone of Inuyasha's voice. She almost inquired what else might have happened to Souta if he had continued, but decided against it. Maybe it was better if she didn't know. Inuyasha's backward jump suddenly flashed through her mind - should she have been forewarned after seeing that? "You've been falling back to this quite often lately, haven't you?"

Inuyasha sighed. Kagome was right, there had been a number of occasions in just a week, and although he didn't want to admit it even to himself, it looked like it was getting worse. He didn't know when it had started exactly, but recently things had gone straight downwards. He had hoped that he was over it in Kagome's time - he had felt so... at ease, rested and safe - but it wasn't getting better at all. This night's incident was by far the worst that had happened till now. Unlike before, this time the decision to take out the intruder by any means had been... natural.

"You sound defeated," Kagome told Inuyasha truthfully.

"Damn, should I sound cheerful?" Inuyasha snapped. "Sorry..." he apologized after a second, rubbing his temple. "You are right, I am falling back to it more and more often."

Kagome shot him a concerned look. To hear so much self-doubt in Inuyasha's voice... When had all this started? Then it suddenly dawned on her. "Inuyasha, I think I know what is the cause of all this."

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at her with guarded curiosity.

"Eiji. It must have been. Ever since you met him, you've been like this. You suspected it was the new moon, but if it's something else, then Eiji's the only answer coming to my mind."

_'Is she right?'_ Inuyasha wondered about her idea. About one thing she was right: Eiji had unsettled him. _'I haven't even thought about him the last days, almost as if I was avoiding it.'_

"Inuyasha, what happened between the two of you?" Kagome asked when Inuyasha didn't answer. "I don't think I've ever seen you so angry."

"Nothing," Inuyasha stated flatly.

"You're doing it again."

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked surprised at her unexpected turn of the conversation.

"You're avoiding the matter. You're avoiding me."

Inuyasha bristled at her hurt tone. She was right, but he hadn't thought about his answer at all. The denial to tell her about Eiji had been out of... reflex. But what could he tell her? If he did, he had to go back really far, starting with the village.

_'The mining village!'_ he cried out mentally, thinking of another possible reason. Maybe this was where the whole mess had started? Or was it Eiji, like Kagome thought? Or maybe it was both?

He turned to Kagome; she was looking at him earnestly. Maybe she could shed some light on this? Could it prevent something like the incident with Souta from happening again? He had never believed that talking about his problems was a step towards solving them, but it looked like he wasn't making any progress with his method.

The problem was that it was one of his most hated memories; it had all happened when he was a child, and unlike nowadays, he had been small and weak back then. Like the fact that he had a memory gap, he had never told anyone about it. He guessed he could be glad he still knew about it - in a way it had been an important lesson in his life.

"Eiji and me grew up together..." Inuyasha told her, drifting off after his revelation.

"What happened?"

"That's - not important." He clenched his fist. _'I... can't. I just can't.'_

Kagome sighed mentally. She had hoped that Inuyasha would finally tell what the incident with Eiji had been about, but it seemed he wouldn't reveal more. She had the feeling that Inuyasha was closing himself off more in the last days. He had told her about things like his memory gap before, but now he only shrugged everything off as unimportant.

Although, he had told her that they grew up together, so he had to know Eiji from his childhood days. Considering the gap in his memory, he couldn't have been older than seven. Remembering Eiji's joke about the 'whore', that left only one conclusion. "I have a last question: Eiji was talking about your mother, wasn't he?"

"He - They... They almost burned her alive..." His voice broke and he closed his eyes, remembering how their house had almost become their grave. The memory ingrained most vividly was that of the _satisfied _stares of the villagers. Of Eiji. "I don't want to talk about it."

"He tried to _burn_ her?" Kagome brought out aghasted. _'Is this the reason Inuyasha was scared of the gas oven?'_

Inuyasha shrugged, getting a grip on himself. "It's long over. He's just a lousy old fool now, you said so yourself. I was angry at him, but I think I'm over it."

Kagome leaned back, noticing only now that she sat upright. _'He's over it. He thinks.'_ In a way, the situations were ironically similar - Eiji had attacked Inuyasha's family, Inuyasha had attacked her family. She couldn't say that she was over it, but if the hanyou could get over Eiji, she thought she should be able to forgive Inuyasha. After all, Inuyasha hadn't wanted to hurt her brother.

She wondered how they had tried to burn Inuyasha's mother exactly. Had they set up a pyre? It was one of the most gruesome ways to die she could think off, and Inuyasha hadn't sounded like his mother had escaped unscathed. She had learned in school that in the Edo era, sometime during the late 1500s, Christians had been burned alive. She had also heard that in medieval Europe and also in America people, especially women, accused of dealing with the Devil had been burned alive by Christians. Had something similar happened to Inuyasha's mother?

_'Oh my god, because of him?'_ Had they thought she was some kind of witch because of her son? How would a child feel when people wanted to burn his mother because they saw him as a demon? The thought made her sick.

Although, Inuyasha had said that he had grown up with Eiji, so the villagers had had to know both Inuyasha and his mother. _'Wait!'_ If Inuyasha had grown up with Eiji, that meant they had lived in the same place. "Inuyasha, Eiji was living in the mining village until he escaped this werewolf..."

When she saw Inuyasha's face fall, she had all the proof she needed. "I don't believe it! We stay overnight in your childhood home, and you don't say a single word!"

"Keh," Inuyasha replied. He crossed his arms, looking away. "That place is _not_ my home."

Kagome swallowed, feeling coarse. "Sorry." Inuyasha obviously tied very bad memories to this village, so her blatant surprise wasn't especially sensitive. She understood why Inuyasha didn't like to talk about his past, with memories like those. "To hear that we visited your... this village, well, was kinda sudden. Why - why didn't you try to avoid it?"

"I... I didn't know the vicinity anymore. Even when I looked down the cliff, I almost didn't recognize it; there isn't much resemblance to the village of sixty years ago."

Kagome almost corrected him, having gotten used to the term 'fifty years'. But if he had been a child back then, she had to add another ten years. "How long did you live there?"

"For at least two years. I think I got there around the age of five, and... left when I was seven," Inuyasha answered, forming a fist with his hand at the last words. "My father had made some kind of deal with the villagers, and they let us stay in the village in return."

"A deal? What kind of deal would a powerful youkai make with a human village?" Kagome asked, hoping that she wasn't being straightforward enough for Inuyasha to close off.

"I don't know, maybe he helped them in some way." Inuyasha shrugged. "Or he just didn't eat them, for all I know."

There was a short silence. Kagome wondered if she should say something, when Inuyasha continued quietly.

"In the years I lived there, I got to know Eiji. We used to tease each other and were always competing, but I regarded him as a... friend," he said, gritting out the last word.

Kagome drew in a breath. Inuyasha didn't use the word _friend_ lightly. Actually she didn't know if she had ever heard Inuyasha use it before. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"After two years a youkai attacked the village. I don't remember much, but a few villagers were killed. The youkai claimed to attack the village because it gave shelter to... me."

Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, wanting to comfort him - even when he had only been seven years old, he had already been target for such underhanded methods. She put a hand on his shoulder, but Inuyasha kept staring ahead, a grim look on his face. "Did you know the ones that were killed?" she asked.

"Yeah, a bit."

"I'm sorry..."

Inuyasha grimaced. "Pah. For all I care, he could have eaten them all. Looks like that werewolf did later, anyway."

Kagome looked down at the ground, feeling sad for Inuyasha. At her home, they had always had a good relationship with the neighbors. There were a few she didn't know too well, but she wouldn't want to see any of them die.

_'That's why I thought I could only have a home if I seized it by force.'_ She could remember Inuyasha telling her that after they had helped Jineji. _'It was the only way I knew.'_ Had the village been the root of Inuyasha's attitude?

She heard him yawn and looked at him. The casual look on his face stood in stark contrast to what he had just told her. Did he really feel that calm? She couldn't believe it. During all the time she spent with him, she had found out that much of it was an act, although the act seemed to be a cornerstone of his life. She couldn't otherwise explain how he could live for years with a memory gap and not arouse any suspicions, not even in people like Miroku, Sango and herself, people he spent most of his time with.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stood up, taking the flashlight.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"I'll look for Tetsusaiga. It'll just take a second."

Kagome noticed only now that he didn't wear his sword on him. "Where is it?"

Inuyasha didn't answer and instead searched the ground. After a few seconds of wandering around, he finally caught sight of Tetsusaiga. He knelt down, having mixed feelings at picking it up. Although it was the main reason for this night's incident, he felt ungrateful. Tetsusaiga was his father's heirloom, and although he didn't feel close ties to his family, it seemed his father had meant him only well. Also, he had grown to depend on this sword and it had saved his life numerous times. Maybe his friends would already be dead without it. So to toss it away like this... _'I guess this time I really used Tetsusaiga like a log,'_ he admitted, remembering an insult Sesshoumaru had hurled at him a while ago. He gave a silent sorry and pushed it back in its sheath.

"What happened to Tetsusaiga?" Kagome inquired worriedly.

Inuyasha shrugged and yawned again. "It has been a long day - I'll try to get some sleep," he explained, walking back towards his tree.

"Here?"

Inuyasha turned around, an uneasy look on his face. "Yes," he answered after a few seconds.

"No way! It's better to go to my time, now that we're here."

When he didn't answer, Kagome continued, "Look, Mama shouldn't be back yet and Grandpa is with them, so you will have some time to adjust. But I really think she'll like to hear what happened when she comes home, and that she would like to hear it from you."

"You really think so?" Inuyasha asked in an unsure voice.

"Of course! Now come on, before some youkai really turns up."

After a moment, Inuyasha walked towards her. "I think this is yours," he said, holding the flashlight out to her.

A bit puzzled, Kagome took the flashlight. "Okay, let's go."

They jumped down the well. After safely arriving in her time, Kagome found herself with the problem of Inuyasha's temporary inability to help her up. Not that she couldn't make it herself, but till now they had never both had to climb up. Inuyasha seemed to be waiting for her... Maybe it was a bit shallow to spend thought on this now, but what was she supposed to do when she only wore a skirt? Climb ahead, with a guy standing below? _'Would Inuyasha look up?'_

"You first."

"Why me?" Inuyasha asked.

"Just do it!"

Inuyasha looked at her suspiciously. "Fine..." He hoped that there wasn't some kind of trick involved. Feeling too tired to argue, he climbed ahead. _'If I lose my grip and fall on her, it's her fault. If she loses her grip and there is no one to fall on, too...'_ When he made it up, he waited for Kagome to make it out as well. Grudgingly, he had to admit that she climbed up faster than him. He wondered why - he didn't think that she was stronger than him, human form or not. _'I guess she actually climbs this up more often than me.'_

Finally, they made it out of the well house. Inuyasha saw that there was a light burning in the kitchen, but nonetheless, the house didn't look nearly as inviting as it had yesterday. Swallowing silently, he followed after Kagome. Like she had said, there was no one at home, what made him feel a bit more at ease, even if he knew it was only delaying the inevitable.

"The TV is still on," Kagome noticed. "Grandpa must have forgotten to turn it off."

Inuyasha followed her, guessing that she intended to switch it off.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kagome asked when they passed through the kitchen.

Inuyasha nodded. He watched Kagome take out two glasses and fill it with something from a bottle that stood next to the fridge.

"Here," Kagome said, passing one glass to him.

"Um... Thanks."

Kagome went into the living room and let herself fall onto the couch. She took a long drink, so Inuyasha took the seat next to her and followed her example. _'Tastes sweet...' _It felt really weird: sitting in this house, when he had been cast out just an hour or two ago. He couldn't even guess how much time had passed, something that usually didn't happen to him.

The strange device still showed moving pictures, bathing the room in an eerie light. At least there was a more friendly glow coming from the kitchen, even if it didn't reach too far into the room. Strangely, there was no sound at all, as if all the people in the box had suddenly gone mute.

Inuyasha took another gulp, almost draining the glass. He looked to the side, seeing that Kagome's glass was already empty. Wanting to save a bit, he put his glass down on the table.

"You know," Kagome began after a short silence, "I think it would help you to talk about your bad memories." She turned to look at him and continued in a quiet voice, "If you ever want to tell me what exactly happened in that village, or anything else, I will listen."

Inuyasha turned away, staring at the TV. "I already talked too much today. Anyhow... Thanks for the offer." He felt stupid, and was too mixed up to even know why. "Maybe I'll come back to it one of these days."

"I know you're not a person to talk about this easily. But when you feel like it, you shouldn't hold back." She sighed, closing the matter. "How do you think is Souta doing?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Dunno. I'm not good with this stuff even by the standards of my time, and medicine seems to have made a lot of progress since then. I... I really hope that your doctors will be able help him."

"They should at least be able to get a diagnosis quickly, with X-raying and all that," Kagome said, leaning her head back on the couch.

"X-raying?" Inuyasha repeated, never having heard the term before.

"It's... rays. They go right through your body... And draw a picture..."

"Does it hurt?" Inuyasha asked uneasily.

"No, you don't notice them at all... go right through your body... skin... and bones... and..."

When Kagome drifted off, Inuyasha turned to her, thinking that there was some disadvantage she hadn't thought off. Instead, he found her asleep beside him. _'That was quick...'_ Inuyasha thought to himself. _'Since when does Kagome fall asleep like that?'_ Well, he guessed today he couldn't complain about others falling asleep.

He watched her for some time, wondering if her position wasn't uncomfortable. Her head was resting on the back of the couch and looked like it couldn't lean back much further. Finally, he stood up, intending to settle her in a more comfortable position. He carefully leaned her to the side, until her head came to rest on the pillow at the couch's end.

Glancing around, he made out a small blanket at the foot of the couch. He took it and covered her, thinking that she should be able to rest like that. Making a final check, his gaze came to rest on the shoulder that still showed. He stared at it, imagining the arm being levered out of the joint. The short moment of resistance until it snapped out with a crack.

Inuyasha took a small step back, noticing that he was sweating. _'I should cover it,'_ he told himself. He reached out with his arm, but came to a stop a good way before reaching the blanket. The shoulder. Clenching his teeth, Inuyasha quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her shoulder.

Feeling relieved, he turned around and sat down at the other end of the couch, watching out not to disturb Kagome. Not intending to sleep, especially _not_ next to Kagome, he watched TV for a while, but quickly got a headache from looking at it. He waited some more and noticed his eyelids becoming heavy again. The monotonous flickering of the machine didn't help, but he didn't know how to turn it off.

He took his glass and drank up. Sadly, this took only a few seconds. Hoping to find something to entertain himself with, he looked around, but he didn't know most of the stuff he could make out in the room, besides the books he didn't care to read...

Finally giving up, he looked at Kagome. She seemed fast asleep now, breathing regularly. How could she still sleep next to him like that? _'Guess I haven't screwed up completely...'_ She slept peacefully, not even a muscle twitching in her face. He hoped that meant that she wasn't having nightmares. About him. He turned away, feeling guilty.

After a while of staring into nothing he yawned. Determined, he forced himself to stop. _'I can't fall asleep again!'_ But could he really rule out the possibility? To be honest, he didn't know much about the limits of his human body, because he always tried to keep a low profile until his youkai powers returned.

He glanced at Kagome. What if she woke up and he had fallen asleep? And she tried to wake him up? What if she just stirred in her sleep and startled him? And he...

He couldn't even think of it. Having decided, he stood up and walked over to the corner of the room. _'It's better like this,'_ he told himself, giving Kagome a last glance. He sat down, making sure that he had a clear view at the TV, hoping that it would help to keep him awake. Better a headache than falling asleep...

Pictures passed quickly.

Time passed slowly.


	21. Chapter 20: What's in it for me

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**July 14th, 2004:** Chapter completed

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha or any of the other characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing the setting to write a fanfic, so please don't sue me.  
The chapter epigraph is from a _Pitchshifter_ song.

**Special Thanks to:**  
My fantastic beta-reader _Xue_. Your knowledge about the Far East was more helpful than ever. Thanks for not getting tired of dealing with my weird vocabulary! ;)

* * *

**Chapter 20**

_ Still at the end of the day  
when all's said and done,  
the one and only single thing left  
is that one burning question _

_**What's in it for me**_

Miroku had been lying awake for a while, his mind drifting. _'It has to be quite late in the morning,'_ he thought, making out the muffled voices of villagers outside. He turned his head to the side, his sight coming to rest on Sango. She was still asleep and looked quite relaxed.

It was the first night with just the two of them and nobody bothering - even on the night when they had come together they had been joined by the others later. But this time they had had a hut all for themselves. He was glad it had been available, even if it was old and without any furniture. Soon, someone from the village would likely reclaim this place, but at least for this time it had been _their_ room.

He turned his head back. _'Idiot, what are you gushing about? Nothing has happened yet.'_ They had just fooled around a bit during the day. _'Well, how does the saying go - don't rush women.'_ Maybe there was some truth in it?

In any case, it had been a nice day. Without Inuyasha and Kagome around and Shippou occupied in the village, they had finally had some time just for themselves.

Sango was still a bit reserved - he wasn't sure if she was just shy or if it was something else. Nonetheless, her smiles had grown to look more comfortable. Now that she was finally relaxing around him, he realized that she never really had before. Well, saying that she had never let her guard down wasn't true, but he couldn't remember her ever being so at ease. Compared to now, she had always been a bit distant. Maybe because of the tragedy that had fallen on her village? Although, when people were orphaned all of a sudden, they usually tried to fill the void. Or was it just that he had kept asking women to bear his child?

That would all be over soon, anyway. Whatever her reasons had been before, now Sango really trusted him. She still shoved his hand away when he tried to grope her, but it was more playful than before. She still looked when he talked to another girl, but it wasn't suspicious anymore. _'Well, a bit even now,'_ Miroku thought, being honest with himself. _'But I guess that's okay.'_ After all, he also watched out when Sango was talking to other guys...

"Why are you looking so tense?" he suddenly heard Sango ask.

He forced down a guilty look and smiled at her. "Good morning, Sango."

"Good morning," she replied, looking at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Miroku answered slowly, searching for a reply. "I was just lying awake and thinking a bit."

"What about?"

"Only inconsequential stuff," Miroku answered and smirked. "Also whether you'd notice if I touched you... somewhere"

"You!" Sango scolded, lightly batting his arm.

"What?" Miroku asked in an innocent tone. "Am I not allowed to dream?" He gave her a quick kiss. "You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to wake you up."

"_Thanks_ so much for your concern," Sango teased good-naturedly, a bit flustered.

"No thanks necessary," Miroku assured. "So, how long have you been awake?"

"I woke up just now," Sango answered truthfully. She turned back, looking at the ceiling. "Must have been ages since I slept that long."

"I can only agree," Miroku said with conviction. He folded his hands behind his head, looking at Sango out of the corner of his eye. "It couldn't be related to the absence of a certain hanyou?"

Sango laughed. "No, of course not." She was silent for a second. "I wonder what Inuyasha and Kagome are doing; they've both been away for more than a day. New moon is over, too."

"I'm betting they're lazing about just like us."

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked incredulously. "He's only lazy when he's sulking."

"Hmm, something to that," Miroku agreed. In any case, Sango's concern was justified - usually, Inuyasha only stayed briefly in Kagome's time. When the girl was at school, he even returned and waited in this time. _'Stupid guy. If I could travel to the future, I wouldn't stop staring. And I'd take everything I can sell here back with me...'_ He was sure nobles would pay fortunes for stuff from Kagome's time.

"Kinda strange without them..." Sango continued. "They're usually around all the time."

"Do you miss them?" Miroku inquired.

"Don't you?" Sango countered.

Miroku was about to make an off-handed reply, but decided otherwise. "Yeah, a bit." He had actually planned to talk with Inuyasha yesterday, to get the hanyou's opinion on the matter of children. It was kinda strange - all his life he'd hunted after women to sire an heir, only to start having doubts when he finally was together with Sango. _'I'd hoped that another viewpoint would help me, but Inuyasha hasn't showed up.'_ He didn't know who else he could ask, but that had to be obvious when the first person coming to his mind was Inuyasha.

"But I'm sure they'll be back soon," Miroku assured. "And until they're back, we should be happy for the free time." He lay back, closing his eyes. _'Don't want to deal with problems right now,'_ he thought, feeling content with a mattress beneath and Sango beside him. _'Is it like this to have a home? Peace... It doesn't feel so bad.'_

----------

  
  
Kagome woke up slowly, still feeling tired. When she couldn't fall asleep after a while she reluctantly opened her eyes. She looked around, realizing that she was in the living room of her house. _'I fell asleep?'_ Slightly confused, she looked to her right, seeing that the TV was turned on. Her gaze came to rest on the two empty glasses on the small table in front of her. _'Souta!'_ she exclaimed mentally, the events of the previous night coming back to her.

She sat up with a jerk, her sleepiness vanished in a rush of adrenaline. _'Is Mama back already? Wouldn't she wake me up and tell me how Souta's doing?'_ Or were they still away? What did it mean if they weren't back yet?

She moved her feet off the couch, feeling them restricted by something. She looked down, seeing that she had been covered with a blanket. She couldn't remember covering herself; she couldn't even remember falling asleep. _'Was that Inuyasha's doing?'_ she wondered. _'Where is he, anyway?' _

She looked around and found Inuyasha in the corner of the room. Seeing the silver color of his hair made it obvious that his human time was over. He sat against the wall, head slightly bent, Tetsusaiga cradled against his shoulder with his thumb resting on the sword's hilt, ready to push it out of its sheath - the very picture of a sleeping hanyou. Beside the rise and fall of his chest, she saw no movement.

_'He shouldn't have to sleep like this,'_ Kagome thought. _'At least here he could sleep more comfortably.'_ She was sure that he needed rest, after a night like the last. When Inuyasha nodded off without intending to, it meant he _was_ tired. _'Stupid - if you had only told me...'_ she thought wistfully.

Despite everything, she felt sorry for him - he had to be in an awfully complicated situation. It looked like he was really anxious about facing her family. He hadn't said so, but his reluctance to return home with her told her as much. She wasn't sure if she could help him - her family had every right to be wary of Inuyasha. _'Watch out,'_ she remembered her mother saying, without any compassion in her voice.

Kagome grimaced - she never hesitated to defend Inuyasha against strangers, but what could she say to her family? In their eyes, everything had to be Inuyasha's fault. His rough exterior wouldn't help him, and his family wasn't used to him, so they wouldn't understand him like she did.

_'I did all that and I wanted to!'_ Inuyasha had shouted, when he _hated_ what he had done. It had to tear him apart, knowing that what happened hadn't been out of reflex or anything like that. _'I... I really hope that your doctors will be able to help him.'_ It wasn't like him - hoping for something. He always took matters into his own hands, even foolishly so.

_'I'll defend him, no matter what!'_ Kagome thought resolutely. _'Even if it's Souta, or Grandpa, or even Mama - I won't let them think badly of him!' _

She turned around, the TV catching her eye. It was some children's show, with crafts and painting. Not in the mood to watch something like that, she took the remote control and switched it off. _'Why didn't Inuyasha turn it off, anyway?'_ she wondered for a second. _'Didn't he know how to?'_

Well, he likely didn't. _'He doesn't know so much about my time...'_ Things that were self-evident to her had to be a complete mystery to him. For that he didn't show much interest - rarely asked any questions about how something worked, a short inquiry how something had to be used at the most. _'Is he embarrassed, or does it really not interest him?' _

She stood up, quietly heading for the kitchen. If her mother had gone to sleep, maybe she had left her a note there. The kitchen had always been the place for left notes, whether it was from or for her mother. When she found nothing, she headed upstairs for the sleeping rooms. She silently opened the door, careful to not wake her mother. To her disappointment, she didn't find her there. Getting worried for her brother, she hurried to his room, but no one was there, either.

She shivered for a moment. _'They're really not home yet.'_ That couldn't be good, could it? She went downstairs, wondering how Souta might be doing. What if he was really seriously hurt, like Inuyasha had feared? Would he have to stay in hospital?

She entered the kitchen, her eye falling on Inuyasha in the next room. _'Maybe Mama was at home and they didn't wake me?'_ It was possible that she had told Inuyasha the news and headed back to the hospital.

Not able to wait any longer, she went to wake Inuyasha.

----------

  
  
Finally, the next village was in sight. Hachiro allowed himself to slow down his pace - he had rushed long enough. _'If they aren't here again, maybe I'll give up on them,'_ he thought, weighing his options against each other. Although it seemed like a really lucrative business, hunting them through the whole of Japan still wasn't worth it. Depending on how far ahead this Sango girl and her group were this time, he'd try to catch up once more or call it quits.

As Hachiro approached the village, he saw that the villagers only gave him quick glances, and no one wanted to know about his business or tried to stop him. _'I guess a visiting stranger isn't too uncommon an event. Maybe there's still something strange going on?' _

Some time ago he'd heard a rumor about the Shikon no Tama having ties to this village, but that story was more than fifty years old. With the recent reemergence of the jewel he'd tried to find out more about it, but without a close examination, the only thing he had picked up was talk about various youkai adding to their power with the jewel shards. The mining village had actually been subject to the attack of one, which had obviously been stopped by the youkai huntress' group. _'A lucky coincidence that I come across this village...'_ Hachiro thought - if the group dealt with empowered youkai, they should know a bit about the Shikon no Tama, but even if they didn't or weren't here again, maybe he could find out more from the inhabitants. In any case, those taijiya ought to have acquired some wealth - professional youkai hunters were wanted and rare, mainly because most of them didn't grow old.

Although, even more interesting was the rumor that there was a hanyou traveling with them. It was only partially believable - hanyou were very rare, and many villagers had told him it was a youkai. But if the fellow jumped off a cliff to defeat his opponent, it was worth taking a closer look in either case. He was still looking for someone like that.

He finally made it into the village and approached a man. "Excuse me, could you tell me where to find a headman?"

----------

  
  
Someone knocked on the door. "What is it?" Sango called, pulling the blanket a bit higher just in case. She checked beside her; Miroku was awake again, too.

"Are you already up?" she heard Kaede ask from outside.

"Awake, but not up yet," Sango answered, feeling self-conscious. By now, Kaede must have guessed that something was going on between her and Miroku. She wondered how the old woman would deal with it... Well, it wasn't as if she was her mother. "What is it?"

"There is a visitor," Kaede answered. "I think he will interest you - he claims to know something about your great-grandfather's fate."

"Really?" Sango blurted out, sitting up abruptly.

"He's in my hut. If possible, hurry up; we've been waiting for a while."

Sango could faintly hear the old woman stepping away from the door. "Did you hear that?" she asked expectantly, turning to Miroku. "I almost can't believe it."

"A surprising turn of events," Miroku agreed.

Sango threw back the blanket, standing up. She quickly headed for her clothes to change before leaving the hut.

Thanks to Miroku, they had slept in night robes. _'Look what I got, Sango! With these we'll sleep much more comfortably.'_ Not that he was wrong - sleeping in something other than her clothes was indeed better, but she was sure he had come up with it just to watch her changing - Miroku's stupefied look at the changing screen she had borrowed from the villagers afterwards was proof enough. Stepping around the makeshift partition, she began to change quickly, curious about the newcomer.

When she was half-way finished she noticed her shadow on the paper screen. _'Oh no,'_ she thought, becoming suspicious. With only her head peeking around, she looked at the paper screen from the other side - her silhouette was perfectly visible against the light shining through the crannies of the wooden walls.

_'Damn!' _

She looked towards Miroku, taking care that no other part of her peeked out, and found the monk turning his sight from the paper screen to her. He even had the nerve not to bat an eye. "What are you looking at?"

"The nice view," Miroku answered, his face finally cracking into a grin.

"Lech," she muttered and vanished behind the paper screen. Still, she was glad it was only Miroku who saw her like this. She could feel the blood rushing to her head after the thought. _'Better get dressed quickly,'_ she decided, doubling her efforts to get clothed.

----------

  
  
Inuyasha relaxed. _'Just Kagome.'_ With his demon senses back, he could easily recognize someone without looking up. He also woke up _before_ someone was able to snatch his sword right out of his hands. He opened his eyes and looked at Kagome.

"Good morning," Kagome said after a moment. _'He woke up as soon I walked towards him,'_ she observed. _'He's really depending on his senses...' _

"Morning," Inuyasha answered, feeling uncomfortable. His problems from yesterday evening were far from solved, and the house he was sleeping in was a reminder of the troubles still ahead of him. _'I should never have come here,'_ he told himself. He guessed Sango and especially Miroku were glad to have had a day to themselves, but under these circumstances it would have been better if he had stayed in his time like always.

After a few seconds of silence Kagome took up the conversation again. "Have you heard anything from Mama?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, I was up till morning; I'm sure I'd have noticed her afterwards." A short pause. "Do you think she... should be back already?"

"I don't know. I hoped so," Kagome replied. _'So, they've really been away all the time.'_ What did that mean? If it was really bad, wouldn't her mother have called? She hoped that was a good sign.

Kagome sighed. "Well, despite everything, I'm hungry. You also want breakfast?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah." He got up and followed Kagome into the kitchen, still a bit groggy. "Do you think it's bad we haven't heard news of Souta?" he asked on the way.

"I guess that depends on the news..."

----------

  
  
Rieko took her mug and drank up. Although she liked the sweet flavor of the last sip of coffee, it also meant she'd have to get up to refill it. "I should have switched with Tsuya," she grumbled, heaving herself out of the chair.

_'Nights like those make you wish you'd have chosen another job,'_ she thought, strolling to the coffee machine. There had been a robbery with someone shot, a few violent muggings and a number of brawls just to name the important happenings. To make things worse, an anxious mother had kept walking up and down in front of her counter all the time.

Rieko pushed the button to refill the mug, sleepily watching the coffee rising higher. Night shifts at hospital always meant lots of coffee. "I'm too old for this job," she sighed - with thirty or even forty this hadn't been so hard. But she needed the money. Her son had had a car crash recently - he had had to borrow money, although they really needed it for themselves. _'Thank the gods nothing happened to him.' _

She turned around to return to her chair. Her sight wandered over the woman. _'If she hadn't fallen asleep soon, I'd have asked a doctor to prescribe her a sedative...'_ At least her old man hadn't made problems - had just sat in his chair with a grim face. Had stayed awake long, too. _'Must run in the family,'_ she guessed. She didn't even know why they were here - the woman had immediately searched for a doctor for her little boy. She didn't like it when people didn't register at her place. _'What do I sit here for? If my son was hurt, I'd still register at the counter first.'_

Didn't work, usually, but the new doctor was too nice and had let it pass. She looked at the clock on her way - with some luck, Tsuya would have to down the woman's personal details.

She returned to her chair and sat down, placing the coffee mug next to the telephone. She gave the thing a challenging look. It didn't ring, admitting defeat. _'Better for you...'_ She had earned a bit peace, after all.

Rieko took her mug and made a sip. Night shifts always meant lots of coffee.

----------

  
  
Sango entered Kaede's hut, finding her with a man inside. The old woman was talking with him over a cup of tea. Sango took in his appearance, suspicious of his sudden emergence. His age had to be about thirty, judging from his face. He was a bit taller than average and clothed elegantly, though nothing overtly expensive. The discarded katana had to belong to him, but carrying one wasn't unusual these days. _'So far, everything looks okay.' _

"I'm sorry for interrupting," Sango said formally when they looked up from their conversation. She heard Miroku enter behind her and also excuse himself.

"It's no trouble at all. You must be Miss Sango and the priest Miroku," he greeted them. When Sango nodded, he stood up and bowed. "It's an honor to meet you. My name is Isobe Hachiro."

Miroku and Sango bowed and sat down, while Kaede stood up. "I'm sorry, I have matters to attend to, but I'm sure you have much to discuss," the old priestess announced her leave.

After the old woman had exited the hut, Sango gave vent to her curiosity. "Lady Kaede said you know something about my great-grandfather?"

Hachiro nodded. "I'm not completely sure about him, but I definitely know about the werewolf in question," he said. "But before we continue, I have to tell you that I don't offer my knowledge for free. I travel a lot and pick up stories and rumors, and making a living of them is part of my trade."

Sango grimaced. _'Well, at least he doesn't beat around the bush...' _

"What kind of compensation do you have in mind?" Miroku asked. "As you can surely see, we cannot offer any riches."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem," Hachiro answered. "I'm very flexible in adjusting to my clients capabilities. Sometimes I just trade one piece of information for another."

Sango narrowed her eyes. _'Information is exactly what we can't offer.'_ With an enemy like Naraku, anything could be used against them. Even if this Hachiro was a human, he just might sell them to their enemy. "Before we speak any further, I want to know how you found us. Your arrival is highly... unexpected."

"I'm sure it is. I was surprised myself to be confronted with this event - after all, that story happened more than fifty years ago," Hachiro began to explain. "I trade at the market of the mining village you visited a week ago. I arrived a bit early and heard your story from the villagers."

"I see," Miroku said. "So you followed us all the way?"

"Well," Hachiro laughed, "I had intended to catch up sooner, but I didn't know your destination, so I had to ask around a bit. I already feared I had lost you, but luckily you stayed in this village."

Sango nodded - the story sounded believable. She exchanged a quick glance with Miroku, who seemed to be of her opinion. "I hope your travels weren't too exhausting," Sango said, filling Hachiro another cup of tea and also two for Miroku and herself. "If we had known, we would have spared you the inconvenience, but we were in a hurry," she explained, taking a sip from her tea. _'If Inuyasha hadn't been so set on reaching the village, we might have met this man much earlier. Let's hope that won't jack up the price.' _

"It's no problem," Hachiro assured. "I followed someone for over a month once. This risk comes with my work, so I'm used to it."

"Well, Mr. Isobe," Sango began, "what exactly is that you know? I can hardly offer you something without having a rough idea of what I'm going to get in return."

"Ah, a woman of business," Hachiro stated. "Well, I know about the fate of the beast, and I also know where your great-grandfather was seen last."

"That certainly sounds intriguing," Sango said. "How do you know all of this?"

"I'm sorry," Hachiro refused, "but I can't tell you before we have a deal."

"Well," Miroku said, rubbing his chin, "it looks like we've reached a point where an agreement becomes necessary. So, what kind of payment do you have in mind?"

"The information is old and hard to come by - this of course makes it more valuable. Hmm, I'd say something about ten ryo."

"T- _Ten ryo_?" Sango stuttered. "That's more than I've earned in my life!"

"That might be because you're still young," Hachiro said with a smile. "If you want to, you can also trade something of equal worth."

"I don't _have_ anything to trade," Sango explained. _'Most of my and my parents' belongings were destroyed with the village,'_ she thought, failing to come up with a plan. There were a few half-completed and cheap weapons left in the armory, but that wouldn't be enough for even one ryo. "I don't own more than the equipment I'm carrying with me, and that I cannot sell."

"Well, that's a shame. I had really hoped we'd come to an understanding," Hachiro said, standing up. "If you change your mind, you can find me at the mining village for the next few weeks."

_'Damn, this was too good to be true,'_ Miroku thought, watching the man pick up his katana and place it at his hip. _'Wait,'_ Miroku exclaimed mentally, getting an idea at the sight. "Mr. Isobe, I think there might be something we could trade." He jumped up and rushed out of the room.

Sango watched Miroku leave, wondering what his idea was. When the monk came back after a minute, she saw him carrying the two swords they had acquired from the humans Inuyasha had killed. _'They are magic,'_ she realized, remembering that Miroku had found out about the swords' enchantment. _'So they have to be worth something!' _

Miroku took place next to Sango, motioning the man to join them again. "We could spare these swords. Both are enchanted, able to cut through even youkai armor."

Looking a bit surprised, Hachiro sat down and took the sword Miroku offered him. He pulled it out of its sheath and followed the blade with his fingers. "Hmmm, not the strongest enchantment," he stated, weighing the sword in his hand. "But the blade is well-balanced."

_'He's able to sense the enchantment himself?'_ Sango wondered. She hadn't thought that he would be able to, judging from his looks. _'He's not your everyday traveler.' _She wondered how much he would offer them, being capable of guessing the worth of the swords himself. Being honest with herself, she didn't think that the swords were worth more than a third of the money the man wanted.

While Hachiro examined the sword, Miroku exchanged glances with Sango to make sure she was okay with this. His reasoning had been the fact they didn't fight much with the swords, anyway, and it shouldn't be a problem to obtain a normal katana afterwards. Judging from her expression, she was okay with it, but unsure about something. _'Likely about the price we can demand,' _Miroku guessed.

"Well," Hachiro finally said, "I value the sword's worth about two ryo, so two of them makes four ryo. I'll make you a special offer and let you off half of the price - five ryo for the swords, five ryo left."

Sango hoped that her disappointment didn't show. That was more than she could expect, but still not enough. _'That's it. That was our last shot.'_ Maybe she should really stop trying to find out about her great grandfather? After all, she had enough to worry about with Naraku and freeing her brother.

Miroku saw that Sango was about to call it quits. It was subtle, but he had known her long enough to have seen her in this mood a few times. "Mr. Isobe, could you leave the room for a minute? There's something I want to discuss with my companion."

"Of course," Hachiro said and bowed. "It's an important decision, after all." He stood up and went out of the hut, a small smile appearing on his face. "Youngsters," he mumbled to himself. _'Almost get a heart attack when I pretend to leave.'_ He had thought that at least the monk would understand the basics of bargaining, but it appeared he just acted brighter than he really was. _'Or the girl is messing with his senses._'

Well, wasn't his problem. It looked like he wouldn't only get the two swords back, but a nice bonus on top of that. Obviously they didn't have much of worth, so by now they had to be contemplating telling him about what they knew of the Shikon no Tama. If he did it right, he might even have a group of youkai hunters on his side, something that could prove useful in the days to come. Not to mention that he had yet to meet the rest of their group.

----------

  
  
When the man had left, Miroku turned around. "Sango, is everything okay?"

"Miroku, this - This isn't worth it. That's enough money to get all of us lodging for the next two years. And I'm not talking about the two of us, but Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou as well. I'm sure there's enough for even Hachi."

"We've always found cover for a night till now, haven't we?"

"That's not the point. Finding out about my great-grandfather's fate isn't worth _ten ryo_."

"Sango, if you don't take this chance now, I'm sure you'll be unhappy."

Sango kept silent, staring in front of her.

Miroku sighed, thinking things over. He was sure that Sango wanted to know about her great-grandfather's fate, so she shouldn't worry about replaceable things like money. "He said that we could also trade knowledge," Miroku suggested.

"Well, do you really want to tell that man about the Shikon no Tama?" Sango asked. "Even if he seems nice, he'd probably sell everything we tell him to Naraku for the right price."

"Well, it doesn't have to be about the Shikon no Tama..."

"And what else important do we know about?"

Miroku sighed; she was right, they couldn't tell that man about anything vital. _'Maybe we can borrow the missing five ryo?'_ he wondered, thinking of other possibilities. But who had that much?

_'Kagome!' _

"Sango, what about asking Kagome for help?"

She turned around, looking angered. "You don't have to worry her, too! Miroku, you know yourself that Kagome isn't rich!"

"That might be true," Miroku answered. "But those _lighters _are very cheap in her time, I've heard. On the other hand, in our time..."

"Sell one to him? Wouldn't that be dangerous? Till now, Kagome has never tried to trade any of the advanced stuff from her time."

"Nonetheless, if we bargain skillfully, we might trade only a lighter or something like that and even keep the swords. Besides, when the little thing runs out of energy to make fire, it's just gonna be a useless piece of junk."

Sango was silent for a while. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Miroku coughed.

* * *

**Author Notes:**  
This time it's been three months. :-/ Time at university was tough, I guess that's my only excuse. I'm annoyed myself - when you _want_ to write something but you _can't_, it's really dissatisfying... I'm not sure how long it will be until the next chapter, but I'm sure it won't be three months again.

I've also received my first flame. (I guess that's a good mean value for 420 reviews.) To a certain extent I always wanted to know how it is, but I guess from now on I can do without them... Anyway, I know now that _Sankon Tetsusou_ means "iron reaver soul stealer" and not "soul shattering iron claw" thanks to better Inuyasha fans than me. oO

Other than that, I've decided to move the Author notes to the end of the story. I've always preferred this stuff at the beginning in other stories, but it looks like most people don't (judging from a discussion on a forum). I see this as bonus for the readers, so I'll go with the popular opinion in this case. Disclaimer and special thanks stay at the beginning.

**Reviews revisited: **

_Silver Dragon 2488_ - Hmm, I guess a poem for the disclaimer isn't a bad idea, but there's one problem: I'm no good at writing poems... Anyway, the disclaimer's not so important - I guess concentrating on the story is better. ;)

_Mikky_ - I'm glad that you like the Mir/San thing. I'm personally not too happy with it - I feel like it could have been done better (I think there a few rough edges). And, maybe I'm saying too much, but you're not bad at guessing. Ku ku ku ;)

_Holly_ - Thanks for your review - I was also happy with the last chapter, spent quite some time contemplating the characters actions and reactions. I'll continue trying to come up with unusual situations - hope you'll continue to like it!

_Badgerwolf_ - Nice summary of the current complications! I'm taking my time with resolving the problem, but if my plan works out, it should be for the better :)

_GothicElf_ - Thanks for the review - it's never too late to start! :) About "sit", I don't use the word to trigger the spell (exclusively "Osuwari" to avoid situations like the one you pointed out). But, your review has shown the problem - people aren't aware of it. I've added "Osuwari" to the dictionary, but I'm not sure if that's enough. Do you have an idea?

_Tsu-chan_ - Hehe, I'm glad that you liked my special thanks. :) I hope I could return at least part of the favor... Hope to read from you!

_Jenbunny_ - Your thoughts about Kagome's mum pretty much mirror mine. How would she react in such a situation? I hope her first reaction was believable, but now that she's sleeping over it, I guess I'll have to be more careful.

_PrincessLesse_ - Thanks for telling me that you like my characterization - I think this is maybe the most important aspect for a story to me. :) Anyway, I hope that the story will continue to grip you with unusual situations (I hope I can stuff them all into this story ;))

_Dauq_ - Very nice to hear from you! I was actually wondering if you were still around... Well, I guess reading three chapters at once can make up for a long wait. (I definitely like to read stories in one go.) Thanks for going into detail with your comments about my characterization. There were some parts that were kinda hard to figure out - emotions running high always demand careful writing. It looks like I did right in trusting my feeling here and there.  
Because you mentioned it, I really enjoy putting relations to the original into the story. I sometimes wonder if it is adding to the story, so it's encouraging to hear that you like it! :)

_Tom_ - LOL, the counselor might need counseling afterwards. ;)

_Blaque-Ivory_ - Hmm, I guess the wait was even longer this time. :-/ This time I'm even unhappy with myself - not much output for three months. Nonetheless, I hope you'll continue to enjoy it!

_Admiral Biatch_ - Hope your computer didn't make problems since the last time. (Mine sure did...) Don't worry about timeliness - a review's a review. ;) Anyway, it looks like "The White Dog" hasn't updated for twice as long as me. And it looked so promising...

_HMPRune_ - Hmm, thanks for telling me "my" Kagome is written well, I'm always a bit unsure about her - she's the character I can empathize with the least.

_AmunRa_ - Thanks a lot for your review. Better a good one than a rushed one! :) I'm slowly getting embarrassed about being compared to the White Dog - that one's so much better than mine. Still, thanks for the compliment! (Most importantly, with reasoning)  
It's great that you share your thoughts about the story with me, so don't feel bad about it! I really like to hear how people experience my writing. :)

_Caeria_ - Hmm, I hope your boss doesn't notice that you read during your work! :) Anyway, I'm glad that my writing manages to provoke the thoughts a bit, and maybe is a bit unique as an Inuyasha story. Hope to hear from you!

_Honey Badger_ - Um, yes, this story is still alive. (Don't worry about poking, everyone needs that once in a while ;)). It's also great to hear that this story is someone's favorite! Anyway, I know what you mean with fearing that a story is discontinued. In fact, I think more than 50% of the good stories are sadly never finished. I especially hate it when they don't at least leave a note saying what the status of a story is. Well, that's the world of fanfiction.

_Bagira_ - Hmm, I'm glad you like it. Telling me details (like you're rereading my fic) is always making my day. ;)


	22. Chapter 21: The Definition of Betrayal

**Settle the Score**

_by Chri_

**  
October 4th, 2004:** Chapter completed

**Disclaimer: **  
Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from the AMV _Trust & Betrayal_ by Alan Stoll.

**Special thanks to:  
**_Xue_ for all the time she's investing into this story. Gracias!  
And to the people assuring me I didn't understand "Sankon Tetsusou" completely wrong. :)

* * *

**Chapter 21**

_The violation of trust; deliverance into the hands of an enemy_

_**(The Definition of) Betrayal**_

"I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to give away information about our patients over phone, especially if there's already a relative present."

"But you've just told me she's asleep!" Kagome shouted into the receiver.

"Yes, Ms. Higurashi has finally fallen asleep. Do you want us to wake her?"

'_I don't want to wake her when she's been up all night,'_ Kagome thought. "No, let her sleep. I only want to know how my brother is doing."

"As I've told you, we're not allowed to –"

Kagome slammed the receiver down, having had enough of the conversation. "Why can't those idiots just tell me what's wrong with him?!"

"Kinda weird, if you ask me," Inuyasha said from the kitchen, looking up from his bowl at hearing her curse. "Maybe I should talk to them?"

"No, they'd probably just send the police, then," Kagome grumbled to herself.

"I heard that!"

Kagome couldn't help but smile a bit – Inuyasha was getting back to his old self and she was glad that he didn't let himself be discouraged. She still didn't know if she could call him guilty or not, but she knew that she didn't hold the accident against him.

She went back into the kitchen, seeing Inuyasha push his bowl away from him. He'd eaten two portions of cornflakes – as long as he hadn't gulped down another one while she had been on the phone. "You finished?"

With a nod instead of an answer, Inuyasha stood up and walked over to the opened dishwasher to put his bowl into the machine. Afterwards he paused for a moment, then turned to her. "Is there any other way to find out about Souta?"

"Well, besides going there myself, no," Kagome answered.

"Why don't we?"

"The hospital's on the other end of the city. I even called the wrong one at first, but remembered that this hospital has a very good reputation and guessed right the second time. But the problem is that you need about an hour with public transportation. Not to mention I don't want to risk taking you with me."

Inuyasha grimaced at having himself mentioned as a problem. _'I'd do just fine!'_ Anyway, now was not the time to quarrel about that. "You can go by yourself. I'll wait here."

Kagome thought about Inuyasha's suggestion, but dismissed it after a moment. She wanted to be present in case her mother came back in the meantime - she was sure Inuyasha would need support. And she wasn't sure if a bored Inuyasha would stay put in the house. "No," she answered, "I think Mama would wake up if I visited, and I'm sure she needs some sleep."

"That's it? Can't we do _something_?"

"I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"Yeah? I thought they were still sleeping?"

Kagome sighed. "No need for sarcasm."

"I hate just waiting," Inuyasha grumbled.

---------

When Shippou checked out the hut, Miroku and Sango weren't inside. _'Are they finally up?'_ he wondered. 'About time.'

He had left them alone yesterday, but he didn't think he could do that again. Although the village was nice, it was really... boring. _'Yeah, that's it,'_ Shippou decided. _'It's damn boring. Even quarreling with Inuyasha is more fun than this.'_

He couldn't really blame the villagers, they were nice and everything, but he had noticed that they didn't quite know how to deal with him. A few times he had caught a villager turning away quickly, pretending that he hadn't looked.

In the afternoon, he had played with a few children, which had been a temporary relief. He had shown them a few of his tricks, like his foxfire and transforming into another person, and they had explained him a few of the games they used to play. Sadly, the children had to help in the fields during the day, so he couldn't play with them.

This brought him back to his current situation – the only people he knew weren't here, so he'd have to look for them. The first location coming to his mind was Kaede's hut, so he headed for the old woman's place.

When he arrived, he found a man waiting in front of it. Shippou curiously peered at him – he was quite sure he'd never seen him in the village before. The man turned, looking at him with a humored expression. _'Finally someone who doesn't look away,'_ Shippou thought to himself.

"Good morning, young man," the stranger said. "It's not every day you see a youkai walking through a village."

"Good morning, mister," Shippou answered. "I guess in this village it's a bit different."

"Really?"

"Well, since Inuyasha moved in, a lot of stuff has happened, so everyone has adjusted."

"Must be interesting here," the man commented, looking around himself. "I'm Hachiro, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Shippou. Well, it's not as interesting as you would think. Everyone has to work, so it's rather boring... Anyway, have you maybe seen Miroku and Sango?"

"Yes, they are –"

At that moment, Miroku and Sango walked out of the hut.

"Ah, found you!" Shippou cheered, jumping up Sango's shoulder. "I've been searching for you all over the place. Have you already met Hachiro? And have you heard anything about Kagome and Inuyasha?"

"Calm down, Shippou," Sango said. "Yes, we know Mr. Isobe; no, Kagome and Inuyasha aren't back yet."

"Morning, Shippou," Miroku said. "We need to talk to Mr. Isobe for a minute, so please be quiet."

"Fine," Shippou sulked. _'I finally found someone who talks to me and then, out of all people, Miroku and Sango have to take him away.'_ Feeling out of luck, he concentrated on the discussion for lack of other entertainment.

"Mr. Isobe, we have considered your offer and came up with a solution. You see, our friend Kagome traveled to China some time ago and brought back many wondrous items with her. We will ask her to help us out - I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"I guess we can give it a try," Hachiro answered after a second.

"The only problem," Sango began, "is that she and our friend Inuyasha left for a short trip a few days ago, but we're expecting them back in the course of the day."

Finally, Shippou had enough of being left in the dark. "What are you talking about? And what does Kagome have to do with it?"

"Shippou, Mr. Isobe offered to trade information about Sango's great-grandfather," Miroku explained. "Since we don't have anything valuable, we hope that Kagome will help us out."

"Oh," Shippou said, remembering that nothing about Sango's great-grandfather whereabouts was known since he had started hunting that werewolf fifty years ago. "So we finally have a clue? Tell us, Hachiro!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly.

"Sorry, little one, but a deal's a deal," Hachiro answered good-naturedly.

"I can't wait..." Shippou grumbled impatiently.

"Shippou, why don't you go to meet up with Kagome and Inuyasha? They should come from the direction of the forest," Miroku suggested.

Shippou thought about it for a second and came to the conclusion that waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha was indeed more pleasant than waiting any longer in the village. "I'm off," he announced and dashed off.

If the wait got longer, he could train in the woods again. He'd spent a good part of the last day like that, and he was sure it was better pastime than just sitting on the edge of the well. _'I hope Inuyasha's back soon. I want to learn more than just slashing at enemies!'_ Although, on second thought, a lot of Inuyasha's fights had ended like that.

But since the hanyou got Tetsusaiga, most of his enemies had either been cut down by the sword itself or the Kaze no Kizu.

'_That's it - I need some kind of weapon! Everyone else has one – Miroku has his staff, Kagome has a bow, and who knows what Sango has up her sleeve!'_ He wondered which weapon would fit him. It would have to be something sneaky, catching the enemy off guard. But it should also be awe-inspiring once the enemy caught sight of it. And it needed to have flashy special moves.

---------

Inuyasha looked through the door, watching Kagome trying to find out something with that 'phone' again. _'I still think it would be better if she just went over there.'_ And who cared if she woke her mother up?

He grimaced at his thoughts – no use feeling annoyed with Kagome's mother. It was only normal she was pissed at him. It was his own fault, after all.

'_Damn, I should have stayed in my time!'_ he cursed. _'Or at least slept on the Goshinboku like the night before. Souta could hardly have climbed up.'_

Grumbling quietly, he leaned over the kitchen table and rested his chin in his hand. _'No use in fretting about the past. I'll watch out better next time,'_ he promised himself. Till then, he could only do his best to repair the damage he had done.

Kagome shouted something into the round talking device, snapping him out of his thoughts. _'Doesn't look like she's having any more luck than before,'_ he guessed. He was reminded of the many times when her patience had snapped; the person she was arguing with could be happy not to be present in this room.

He hoped that Kagome found out at least a bit - he wanted to know how Souta was doing. As if he didn't have enough problems with Naraku and his bastard of a half-brother, now he also had to worry about Kagome's brother and her mother. Not to forget grandpa. Kagome hadn't told him how the old man had reacted exactly, but he was sure that he hadn't been pleased.

Knowing that Souta was okay would at least take some of the worry off his shoulders.

Kagome seemingly had come to terms with the situation. In the end, that was the most important thing to him. Even if Kagome's whole family ended up hating him, as long as Kagome was on his side, he would manage. _'But what if she's forbidden to travel to the past?'_ Kagome's mother had made a comment that she _allowed_ her daughter to go to through the well – what if she changed her decision?

'_I have to clear this situation.'_

Then he could finally leave this accursed time. Never having had a home, he didn't know if this feeling could be called homesickness, but he definitely wanted to go back to his time. _'Timesickness, maybe? Yeah, I'm sick of this time.'_

A small smile entered his face as he thought of Miroku, Sango and Shippou. He wondered how they were doing; it had become unusual not to see them for so long. He would never have believed it, but he was really looking forward to seeing his friends again.

'_Damn it, I can't get soft...' _He took a deep breath and snapped out of his nostalgic thoughts. Kagome looked like she'd waste the telephone any second, so it didn't seem like she had found out anything valuable. He thought about giving speaking with that person a try, but Kagome had clearly been against it, and he was sure it was better to give her time to calm down before making that proposal again.

As he had predicted, Kagome suddenly hung up and gave the telephone a long stare before storming back into the kitchen.

"No luck?"

"That person has to be the most stuck up bureaucrat I've ever met. _No one_ in their right mind would insist on that stupid rule and not say at least if he's okay... I told her to wake up grandpa, but she just said she wouldn't."

"And your mother's also still asleep?"

Kagome grimaced, looking seriously annoyed. "Well, I hadn't really counted on her waking up in ten minutes."

"No need for sarcasm."

"Yes. Sorry..."

"So, what now?" Inuyasha asked after a short silence. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, so he proceeded directly. "Do we visit them?"

"I already explained why we don't," Kagome asked, her anger flaring again.

"Fine," Inuyasha sighed. An uneasy silence ensued, both of them looking away. _'She's not calmed down,'_ Inuyasha stated silently, wise enough to not voice his thoughts. Not that he could be angry with Kagome - she was only doing what she thought was best, and with her experience of this time, it likely _was_ the best they could do. _'If it goes on like this, we'll be arguing soon. We need a fucking break.'_

"Say, how about..." He stopped, thinking it over once more, and continued, "How about checking to see if Miroku and Sango are all right? Wouldn't take more than a few minutes."

Kagome was about to disagree, but the 'are all right' kept ringing in her ears. "Do you think something happened to them?" she asked suspiciously. _'Does Inuyasha know something? He's been here the whole time, hasn't he?'_

"Calm down! It's just that we haven't seen them for two days, so I'd like to check if everything is okay."

Reminded of her friends, Kagome also felt like paying them a visit. Shippou would worry if none of them went back for so long. On the other hand, she didn't want to just leave here like that. What if her mother arrived in the meantime and there was no one at home? Although, if they wanted to go, it was best to go soon – her mother was asleep, so even if she got up right now and hurried back with the car, she shouldn't be back for at least half an hour. "Okay, let's go," she said, turning to walk to the well.

Having counted on a lasting discussion, Inuyasha gaped after her. "You know, that was kinda quick," he commented, catching up with her.

Kagome shrugged and continued towards the well house. They entered and stopped in front of the well.

"You sure you are okay with this?" Inuyasha repeated.

Kagome nodded. "Yes."

After looking at each other for a moment, they jumped into the well. The time travel worked without problems, and when they arrived safely on the other side, Inuyasha jumped them out of the well. _'Shippou's here,'_ Inuyasha noticed, catching the scent of the kid.

They had barely touched the ground before Shippou threw himself at them. "Kagomeeee!"

Inuyasha stepped away as Shippou landed in Kagome's arms, for once glad that the fox was distracted by Kagome. While Shippou complained about how bored he had been, Inuyasha noticed that his bad feeling was suddenly back. _'Damn, am I really going crazy?'_ He had thought that his paranoia was finally over, especially when he had felt okay when Kagome and he had talked _here_ this night. _'That's it, I've had enough. My intuition's worth shit, so whatever!'_ He had to worry about Souta and million other things - he wouldn't add to them any longer.

Shippou looked accusingly to Inuyasha, then back to Kagome. "I've been waiting for... forever!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been!? What has Inuyasha screwed up this time?" When he was met by silence, he noticed the strained looks on both Inuyasha's and Kagome's faces. "What, is something seriously wrong?"

"Yes, we had some trouble at home, but it's nothing you have to worry about," Kagome finally answered. She brought up a smile. "So, what has happened here?"

Inuyasha held his breath at Shippou's question. After asking once more, the fox seemed to buy Kagome's excuse. _'I haven't thought about how the people here will react to it!'_ Even if Kagome kept silent for now, sooner or later, his friends would hear about it. He wondered if they would understand. Even if they did, maybe they'd want him to sleep apart from them so he didn't attack them in his sleep? _'Would I?'_ he wondered briefly. The choking feeling vanished quickly when he found the answer to his question. _'Not as a hanyou...'_

He set his jaw. _'I'll never ever sleep as a human,'_ he promised himself yet again. Having come to a temporary resolve, he brought his attention back to Kagome and Shippou.

"And today, a man came. I guess he's been here for some time, because Sango and Miroku were away when I looked for them. He's nicer than most of the villagers, although he wants money from us. Hachiro – that's the name of the man – wants so much that they can't pay him," Shippou told them and finally ran out of air. He took breath and continued his tale, "When I searched for them, I found him in front of Kaede's hut. We talked a bit, and then Miroku and Sango have told me to wait for you here. They had been inside Kaede's hut... She hopes that you can help her out, so I came here to wait for you."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome - judging by her bewildered look, she was also trying to piece together Shippou's story. As far as he understood, some guy wanted money from them, and Miroku and Sango were waiting for Kagome.

"Shippou, why does this man want money from us? And how can I help Sango?" Kagome asked. " I doubt anyone here will be interested in my paper money."

"Hachiro knows something about Sango's great-grandfather, and he wants to sell the story. And Sango can't pay," Shippou explained. "And why didn't you ever tell me that you've been to China?"

"China?" Kagome asked in a dumbfounded tone. "Yes, I went to China years ago. Why is it important now?"

"You've been to China?" Inuyasha interrupted. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"It's not so important. Besides, it was a British part of –" Seeing their stupefied looks, she decided to cut the story even shorter. "It was a short holiday a long time ago, so it's nothing special. Anyway, I've never told anyone, so how did you get the idea, Shippou?"

"You must have told Sango," Shippou objected in a sulking voice. "She said that you own some interesting stuff from there."

"Oh," Kagome said, getting an idea what everything was about. 'China' substituted for 'her time' and Sango wanted to trade items from the future. _'What is she thinking?'_ Kagome wondered. _'That could cause all kinds of problems...'_

"What 'oh'?" Inuyasha asked. "Have you told her or not?"

Kagome rolled with her eyes. "No, of course not. They're just making up something to explain where my mysterious stuff comes from."

"Oh."

"So, now that that's sorted out," Kagome decided, "let's go to the village. I'm sure they are waiting for us."

They set out at a quick pace. After a minute, Shippou jumped back to Inuyasha, relaying his newest idea. "Inuyasha, I've been training a lot for the past two days and I want to have a weapon now. Do you have any good ideas?"

Inuyasha didn't answer immediately. "Shippou?" he finally asked.

"Yes?"

A moment of silence. "Ask me another time."

"This evening?" Shippou asked impatiently.

"I said _later!_" Inuyasha answered sharply.

After a second, Shippou ran forward to catch up with Kagome without saying a word. He jumped up her shoulder, still ruffled from the harsh response. _'What's wrong with him?'_ the fox wondered. If Inuyasha thought he could discourage him, the hanyou would find out that he was serious.

"Kagome, Inuyasha's behaving strangely."

"What has happened?"

"I don't know! I just asked if we could take my training to the next level, and he gets angry when I ask him if he knows a weapon that would fit me," he complained, not particularly caring if Inuyasha could hear.

"Hmmm," Kagome stalled for time. "How about asking him later?"

Shippou gave Kagome a disbelieving look. "You're weird!" he stated and jumped off her shoulder, running ahead. _'Everybody's telling me to ask later!'_

Kagome watched the kid march ahead. _'I guess he's offended,'_ she thought, feeling sorry for him. She wondered if they could already entrust Shippou with a weapon – even if they continuously got into dangerous situations, she thought that the danger of the kid hurting himself was greater.

"What do you think?" Inuyasha snapped her out of her thoughts, suddenly beside her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she complained. "What do I think about Shippou's new idea?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm not sure. I don't think he's old enough for a weapon, though." Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha. His face had a grim look – a sure sign to her that he was really thinking about it. Her eyes fell on his right hand – he was clutching Tetsusaiga's hilt in a death grip. "When I see you like that, I'm not sure if I'd give _you_ one..." she said half-jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Oh," Inuyasha said, looking almost surprised at the sword, and released it. He didn't speak for a minute, walking through the forest with a stony mien.

"Do you think I'm just overreacting because... you know?" he finally broke the silence.

"No, I don't think so. I'm actually glad that you're thinking it over."

Inuyasha grimaced. "I don't how I would have answered if he asked me two days ago. He isn't wrong – we get into tight situations often and anything that might improve our chances..."

"Inuyasha, giving Shippou a weapon won't turn him into a warrior just like that. He's more into trickery, anyway."

"That's actually what I'm worrying about," Inuyasha admitted. "Don't you think he'd try something on his own?"

"Something on his own? Like?"

"You know how we met him. He was stealing Shikon shards because he'd gotten it into his head that he could kill Hiten and Manten with those. What if he also goes looking for some weapon now?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, that was a completely different situation. He doesn't want to kill anyone this time, it's just for himself." Giving him another look, she found he still didn't look calmed down. _'Why is he so set about it?'_ she wondered. She would have understood it if he had just declined. "We can talk with Sango later - she should have the most experience with that topic. I'm sure that she wasn't old when she started to train."

"That's a good idea. She should know from Kohaku, too."

Kagome looked at him. "Don't mention that! She'll just start thinking about him again!"

"It was your idea!" Inuyasha retorted.

"To ask about _her_ training, not Kohaku's!"

"Fine," Inuyasha grumbled. "I won't mention Kohaku."

He looked forward, watching the offended kid getting further and further ahead of them. _'What should I do about this? He's not old enough for a weapon.'_

But he also couldn't deny that their situation was far from common – encountering strong opponents multiple times per week, Shippou had been in serious danger numerous times. Not _old_ enough for a weapon – would he eat those words the day Shippou wasn't _strong_ enough without one? He dismissed the thought.

The village came into view, stopping their conversation. Kagome felt her spirits lifting – the village always looked inviting to her. _'I've missed Miroku and Sango, too.'_

She wondered what they had planned exactly – she was sure that the two wanted to trade something from her time. Under normal circumstances, she would have declined immediately, but this time it was about her friend's great-grandfather. Sango was really dedicated to solving the mystery of his disappearance - she could still remember how full of energy Sango had been after she had gotten the lead with the werewolf, and also Sango's disappointment at not getting anything out of Eiji, even if she had tried to hide it.

"Do you think we'll get more clues about Sango's great-grandfather?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, turning to him. She noticed that he was gripping Tetsusaiga again.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, finally suspicious about his behavior. "You look really tense."

"What?" Inuyasha asked, stupefied, obviously snapped out of his thoughts. "No," he answered after a second, releasing Tetsusaiga, "everything's okay."

He took a deep breath. "I don't particularly care about Sango's great-grandfather. Ever since we heard of him, Sango has done nothing but slow us down."

"Don't be so cold!" Kagome scolded. "Just a few weeks ago, you avenged your father, so I thought you'd understand her."

"I killed Ryuukotsusei to make Tetsusaiga lighter! It had nothing to do with my old man," Inuyasha dissented.

"Sango finally has a chance to find out how her great-grandfather died. If you were in her stead, wouldn't you take it?"

"I _am _not running after useless leads about my mother's fate..." He stopped walking, looking away.

Kagome gulped. _'I didn't think about that! Have I gone too far?'_

Inuyasha bristled, and continued walking. "Thought I smelled something..." he explained himself.

Kagome noticed a bead of sweat roll down his face. "Are you okay?"

"Keh!"

"Inuyasha?"

"I said I'm fine!" Inuyasha huffed.

'_Really?'_ Kagome wondered. _'I didn't imagine that...'_

"Anyway," Inuyasha continued as they entered the village, "you should rather think about what you're going to take with you from your time than worry about Sango's gramps."

"Hmmm. I'm not sure if I'll agree," Kagome admitted. "I've seen some movies where doing this stirred up lots of trouble."

"Heh," Inuyasha laughed curtly. "You tell her that."

"You think this is funny?"

"Isn't it?" Inuyasha countered.

Kagome snorted, refusing to continue the discussion. _'Anyway, we're almost there,'_ she thought. _'Around the next corner is Kaede's hut.'_ To be honest with herself, Inuyasha wasn't wrong. Telling Sango that she wouldn't help her because of _movies_ she had seen...

Meanwhile, they had lost Shippou; she guessed that he had run ahead. But Shippou wasn't there when she rounded the corner, although she could see Miroku and Sango together with a man. _'Looks like he's run off. I hope he hasn't gotten in a huff...'_

"Good morning," Kagome greeted them, not as cheerful as usual. Miroku and Sango as well as the stranger turned to them.

Sango looked at her eagerly. "Good morning!"

"You...?" Kagome heard Inuyasha ask quietly – he had stopped a few steps behind her. She wanted to ask what he meant, but Sango asked her to come over. _'Does he know this man?'_ Kagome wondered as she walked to her friend.

She was held back by a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop," Inuyasha ordered and walked past her.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, but got no reply.

Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga, advancing on her friends. "Get away from him," he growled, getting shocked looks from Miroku and Sango. The man took a step back, preparing to pull his own sword.

"Mr. Isobe is a friend, Inuyasha," Sango cried. "Stop!"

Kagome watched perplexed as Inuyasha launched himself at the man. Sango stepped in his way.

"Sango!" Miroku flinched and tried to join her, but was too slow.

Inuyasha struck out with Tetsusaiga still untransformed. Sango instinctively tried to block with her underarm blade, the short knife slashing through the concealing fabric.

She noticed too late that it was just a feint. A muffled cry escaped her when Inuyasha's kick at her unloaded leg threw her off balance. When she landed on the ground, she caught the fall with the length of her arm and rolled to her feet.

Inuyasha was already past her.

Miroku rushed to Sango, momentarily not caring what Inuyasha did to Hachiro. When he saw that she looked okay, he glanced to the side for a short moment and saw that the two were already exchanging blows. _'What the hell is going on?'_

Kagome snapped out of it when she saw Sango fall on the ground. She rushed to her although Miroku was already there. "Sango, are you okay?"

"Yes. Don't worry," Sango gritted out.

"Inuyasha, how could you?" Kagome shouted, looking up. The first thing that caught her eye was the tinge of red in Inuyaha's eyes. They were narrowed to slits, giving his face a cold look. He blocked a slash, using the opportunity to push Hachiro backwards with a growl.

Sango felt the place where Inuyasha had kicked her with her fingers, watching the fight intently. "Miroku, get me a weapon."

"Sango..." Miroku half-asked, exchanging looks with her. After a second, he gave her his staff. "Take this for now," he said and stood up. He sprinted to the hut, giving the two fighters another look. Hachiro evaded a downward slash by jumping to the side, aiming his own sword at Inuyasha's exposed side. The hanyou simply took a step backwards, the sword missing him by centimeters.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Kagome shouted, but he didn't give any sign he'd noticed her. _'The other man doesn't seem to know him...?' _Kagome speculated.She saw that the villagers had begun to flee from the fight.

"Kagome, stop him," Sango ordered while she got to her feet, using Miroku's staff as a cane. She felt a slight twinge in her left lower leg, but it didn't hurt much. She guessed that she shouldn't jump around, though.

Placing herself in front of Kagome, she observed the fight. Hachiro was holding himself well; Inuyasha had already a small cut on his right arm, while his opponent seemed to be unhurt. Inuyasha hadn't transformed Tetsusaiga - probably the reason the hanyou couldn't end the fight quickly. Couldn't he transform it?

'_Inuyasha's fighting is getting better again, like against that dog demon Akahito,'_ Sango observed. She was surprised by Hachiro's skill, but he was being pushed into defense.

"Kagome!" she shouted when her friend didn't act. "Stop Inuyasha! He isn't in his right mind."

"I- I can't," Kagome answered. "Not in a fight!"

Miroku came out of the hut with the enchanted sword in his hand. He ran to Sango and exchanged weapons with her. Looking at the fight, he saw Inuyasha digging his claws into his wound.

Without his usual battle cry, Inuyasha released his blood claws. Acting almost immediately, Hachiro somehow managed to jump out of harm's way, but couldn't avoid getting his blade cut in two, shortening it to roughly half of its length.

The claws carried on, still gaining in size, and sliced through a house behind Hachiro. After a second, the house collapsed with a lot of noise.

"By the gods," Miroku cursed. "His blood claws were a lot bigger than usual, I hope there was no one in that house."

"Kagome!" Sango shouted. "You can't let this go on! There are people around!"

Kagome hesitated.

"They're apart now," Sango continued. "You won't get a better opportunity!"

Inuyasha reached for his wounded arm again.

"Osuwari."

The prayer beads activated and pulled Inuyasha down. He crashed to the ground with a loud thump. He growled and tried to push himself up, to no avail.

"You have my thanks," Hachiro said with a small smile directed at Kagome and pushed what was left of his sword into the sheath.

Kagome exhaled – she had ended the fight. _'Inuyasha's going to get it this time! He can't go berserk in the village!'_

"Inuyasha?" Hachiro asked as he walked to the hanyou and kneeled down next to him. "What a stupid name." Inuyasha tried to slash at the man, but Hachiro twisted Tetsusaiga out of his grip.

"Never turn your back on friends," Hachiro whispered, standing up. He struck out and plunged Tetsusaiga deep into Inuyasha's chest from above, effectively nailing him to the ground. "You stay there."

Inuyasha's scream died down quickly. Kagome watched in horror as Hachiro turned to them, pulling out his damaged sword. "Inuyasha!" she cried. She reached for her bow, but she didn't have it with her. _'This can't be happening!'_

"I'm sorry," Hachiro said, advancing on them, "but circumstances have changed."

Miroku positioned himself in front of Kagome and Sango. _'Inuyasha must have had his reasons for attacking him like that,'_ he realized. "Stop now," he warned, getting his staff ready for battle. _'I can't let him near Sango.'_ When the man didn't stop, Miroku attacked, intending to disable him. He stabbed with his staff, aiming for the stomach.

Hachiro sidestepped, catching the staff with his left hand. Seeing his enemy off balance, Miroku pushed at his end of the stuff, trying to both hit Hachiro in the face and use leverage to get his weapon free. Reacting quickly, Hachiro ducked and stabbed for the monk's chest. _'Damn,'_ Miroku cursed silently. He tried to whirl out of the way, but couldn't avoid getting a deep wound on his left upper arm. Miroku cried out when a jagged edge of the broken sword ripped away a part of his flesh. Distracted, he also received a kick to his side, throwing him onto his back.

He looked up, seeing Hachiro preparing to finish him. _'This is it.'_ Although he tried to get out of the way, he knew that he couldn't escape the strike.

Suddenly, Sango was in his field of vision, moving in to block the man's attack. The swords collided with a clash, leaving both opponents to push against each other.

"Do you think you can topple me with your hurt leg?" Hachiro taunted.

Sango grimaced, trying to ignore the pain from her leg. _'If Inuyasha only hadn't kicked me there!'_ She just needed to hold out a moment for Miroku to recover. Then she could pull back and take advantage of her opponent's shorter reach. She heard Miroku getting up behind her, meanwhile doing her best in holding back Hachiro. _'Damn, he's strong!'_

After only a few seconds, Sango could feel her left leg giving out. _'I can't hold out any longer!'_ She pulled back, intending to get out of his reach and then attack to distract him from Miroku. To her dismay, Hachiro immediately followed. She made a quick slash, forcing him to block and slow his advance. She took another step back, holding him at distance with a jab.

"Not bad, girl." Hachiro also took a step back, daunting her to follow. "Come on, are you afraid?"

"You wish so." Having a moment, Sango took her sword into her left hand to make better use of her right underarm blade. It might also confuse her opponent, although it wasn't likely that someone fighting left-handed would hinder him much, judging by his level of skill. _'Maybe I can use this?'_ she thought, getting an idea. She left the slightest opening with her left hand, hoping to give the impression she wasn't used to fighting like that. Most people were worse with their left arm, after all.

"He," Hachiro laughed curtly, launching himself at her.

'_He fell for it!'_ When he was within reach, Sango showed him that she could indeed fight with her left hand. Although he reacted quickly and backed away, she could give him a deep cut on his left hand. She followed up with her underarm blade and struck at the chest of her retreating opponent, leaving her sword ready to deflect any attack of his.

Hachiro got out of her reach. The wound on his hand was bleeding, but the attack to his chest had only cut the fabric of his shirt, barely scratching him. He laughed uneasily. "Interesting."

'_She's better than I thought.'_ He cursed himself for underestimating her – even if she was young, she was a taijiya, after all. _'No time for playing with girls,'_ Hachiro thought and attacked her. She had one weak point – the leg where she had been kicked. She could neither retreat nor press forward as well as he could. If he kept attacking, he would quickly gain the advantage. If his sword hadn't been broken, this would have been over in a second.

He attacked her left, nullifying her longer reach by forcing her to block. She answered with a slash of her arm blade. Hachiro ducked under it, going into a foot sweep. She had wisely kept her hurt leg in the rear, but if he got the other one, she should be immobilized as well.

The girl again surprised him by somersaulting over his attack. Hachiro raised his arm to block, completing his foot sweep, but she didn't kick at him and instead jumped backwards. _'No strength left?'_ he guessed.

Sango hissed when she landed and her left leg finally gave out from overexertion. She fell to her knee, barely holding her balance. She gulped and moved her sword over her head, taking it into a two-handed grip to assume a solely defensive position.

Hachiro got up to use the opportunity, but the annoying monk suddenly rushed to her side. His cloak was soaked with blood at his right arm, but he held his staff firmly.

'_The same game again...'_ Hachiro thought angrily. _'One won't let me finish off the other.'_ It wouldn't matter, though – defeating two cripples wouldn't be that difficult.

"That's enough!" Hachiro suddenly heard from behind him. He took a quick glance backwards, watching out for the monk. The other girl stood twenty meters away from him, armed with a bow and an arrow pointed at him. _'Damn!'_ Every time he was about to finish this fight, someone got in the way.

'_Anyway, it's worth the risk.'_ Another combatant was added to the equation; Hachiro quickly did the math. Letting an archer run loose was a bad idea - if she shot him while he was busy fighting the monk and the taijiya bitch, she'd get him for sure. The two before him were both hurt, and he was between them and the girl. If he attacked her now, they wouldn't be able to catch up.

Immediately translating his plan into action, he turned around and sprinted at the girl. She let her arrow fly. Hachiro knocked it away with his sword, having counted on it, and continued his advance. Behind her lay the hanyou – the sword pierced through his chest caught his eye. _'Looks like I'll need it, after all.'_ He struck out, aiming at the girl. Even if he didn't kill her, it should at least distract her until he had a real sword in his hands.

Kagome stood surprised for a second, having counted on hitting his shoulder, and then quickly grasped for another arrow. She didn't get to nock it; the stranger threw his sword at her. Despite being unbalanced by being cut short, it was thrown well – she could see it coming straight at her head.

Time slowed – the blade was closing in, but she couldn't move out of the way.

'_Will I – Will I die like this?'_ The sword seemed to slow down even further.

"Kagome!" Miroku's voice snapped her out of it. He was hidden behind Hachiro, but she could hear him well. "Get _down_!"

Hachiro, who was halfway between her and Miroku by then, suddenly sailed backwards and finally gave Kagome view of the monk's unsealed Kazaana. _'The sword's really slowing down – it's being pulled back!'_

Kagome threw herself to the ground. A split second later, the sword flew over her head, taking a strand of hair with it. Being pulled forward as well, she fell violently, so she stopped her fall with her hands. When she hit the ground, she scraped the palm of her right hand with a stone, causing her to grind her teeth.

After the first moment of pain, she finally lay motionless for a moment, still holding her breath. When she looked up, she saw Miroku placing the seal back on his arm. Hachiro was nowhere to be seen.

Kagome gulped. _'Has he... sucked him up?'_ Miroku, as Buddhist monk, was not allowed to kill humans. She wanted to search his face for signs of emotion, but he was looking down, securing the rosary.

She stood up, running towards him. "Miroku! Are you okay?"

Miroku looked up, a calm look on his face. "Do not worry about me." He let his staff fall to the ground and placed his hand on the wound on his upper arm. "Let's look after Inuyasha."

Kagome stopped, turning around. Inuyasha still lay on the ground, not moving a finger. "Inuyasha!" She ran to him. A pool of blood was slowly forming under his body, reminding her of the times when he'd been badly hurt - during his fights against Sesshoumaru or Naraku and his offspring. She dropped down next to him, not caring about getting her clothes bloodied. "Inuyasha, are you okay?!"

The sword was pierced through his body, dangerously close to his heart. _'He can't be dead!'_ she thought desperately. "Inuyasha, say something!" She tried to pull the sword out, but it wouldn't move. She looked up – Sango was holding it down at the handle with the palm of her hand.

"Don't," Sango explained. "That's probably the only thing that's keeping the wound shut right now. We shouldn't pull it out recklessly."

Miroku kneeled down next to her, feeling at Inuyasha's throat with two fingers. He looked up after a few seconds, an icy look on his face. "I can't feel a pulse... He's not breathing, either."

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. _'Dead. He's dead.'_ Inuyasha's eyes were completely unfocused, his mouth still open from a silenced cry. _'He can't be dead!'_ Spittle dripped out of it, mixed with blood. "We have to help him!"

Her sight was getting watery. She blinked, but it got only worse. "Help him! He can't be dead!" He looked just like after all those dangerous fights – he'd gotten up every time! "He – he..."

Miroku turned to Sango, silently asking her to comfort Kagome with a glance. She nodded, getting down next to her.

Miroku turned back to Inuyasha's body, trying to reign in his panic. If it had been anybody but the hard-to-kill hanyou, he'd already have begun to pray for the soul's peace in afterlife. _'He still looks as if he's turning youkai...'_ he thought, examining his friend. Inuyasha's eyes still held a tinge of red, and the slightest hint of a stripe could be seen on the hanyou's cheek. _'Is he trying to transform?'_ His eye fell on the sword pierced through Inuyasha's chest.

After a second, Miroku spoke up. "I think Tetsusaiga is keeping Inuyasha from assuming his youkai form."

Kagome looked at Miroku, a hopeful look on her face. "He should be able to recover as youkai!"

"Do you think it is safe to pull it out?" Sango asked.

"With any other blade I'd suggest following your advice," Miroku explained. "However, Tetsusaiga might threaten his life right now just by touching him. Normally, a wound such as this one is fatal – the only thing we can pin our hopes on is Inuyasha's superhuman constitution."

Sango nodded hesitantly. "Kagome? What do you think?"

"Miroku said it," Kagome said in a choked voice. She took hold of Tetsusaiga and pulled. After a moment, it came free and she quickly slid it out of Inuyasha. "This is his only chance." She noticed blood streaming down the edge. She looked away, turning her sight on Inuyasha. With the wound opened, a new flush of blood added to the pool.

A silence ensued. Her friends also looked at Inuyasha, but no one said anything.

Nothing happened.

"Inu... Inuyasha..." Kagome stuttered. She leaned down to his mouth, hoping to hear him breathe.

Nothing.

She closed her eyes, concentrating completely on her sense of hearing. _'Dead... Can't be...'_

Kagome gave a jerk when Inuyasha suddenly growled. She sat up, a bit shocked by the sudden life sign. At second thought, it was less a growl than a raspy intake of breath, taking incredibly long.

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyou didn't respond. His eyes were now completely red and still unfocused. Two long fangs could be seen through his half-open mouth. Paired with the thick stripe on his cheek, those were sure signs that Inuyasha's youkai blood had taken over.

"Inuyasha, say something!" Kagome cried.

There was no response. Inuyasha's breathing continued as it was, reminding her of an asthmatic.

She felt a hand touch her on the shoulder.

"Kagome, that is more than we could hope for," Sango told her friend, giving her friend a reassuring squeeze.

Kagome wasn't convinced. "He isn't moving at all."

"He's at least breathing again," Miroku added. "It means his heart is beating as well. Isobe must have missed it."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, still having her doubts. _'At least he's not dead,'_ she thought with relief. _'Yet,'_ a nasty little voice in head added.

"What's happening here?" she could suddenly hear Kaede ask loudly some distance behind her.

She turned around, still listening for every single of Inuyasha's raspy intakes of breath. Kaede was approaching them from the main road, obviously eyeing the situation critically.

"We had a fight," Miroku explained when the old miko was near enough, an apology ringing in his voice.

Kaede stood silent for a second, staring at them. "Is Inuyasha all right?" she asked finally.

"He's alive," Sango said quietly.

She turned to look from Inuyasha to the destroyed hut and back again. "You look after Inuyasha; I'll look after my village." She gestured to a few villagers who had come with her to follow her and left for the hut. She looked around, giving them a quick look. "If you need something, tell me quickly. And don't forget to look after yourselves, too."

Miroku bowed. "Thank you."

"We should carry him inside," Sango suggested. "We can't let him lie in the middle of the road."

"You are right," Miroku agreed.

Kagome nodded. "We should be able to carry him with the three of us."

They agreed that Kagome would be in the middle, being the one hurt the least. She quickly found out that an unconscious body was harder to carry than she had thought. She was glad that Miroku and Sango seemed to have some experience with that kind of thing – although their wounds obviously weren't helping them, they proficiently took care that Inuyasha's limbs didn't get in the way. Miroku also propped up Inuyasha's head, and together they carried him inside Kaede's hut.

The last thing they heard before laying Inuyasha down was that the villagers had found someone in the debris of the hut.

* * *

**Author Notes:**  
Well, a full-length chapter this time. Looking at my current update routine, I've begun to wonder if I should maybe post shorter chapters, but more often. Personally I'm not really for that, but I can't deny that it would considerably shorten the waiting time. :-/ 

Other than that, I have decided to delete the prologue chapter with the vocabulary. In light of recent events I can be glad that story is still here, but I fail to understand what's so outrageous about a short dictionary. Because of that, some of you might also have trouble leaving a signed review - all the chapter numbers were decreased because of the deleted chapter. The dictionary is still available on my homepage, but I won't post it here on again. I hope this is okay with you.

Finally - and on a lighter note - I'd like to advertise a story: "One Wish" by _K Nighthawk_. This story really caught my attention, and the good thing is that the chapters are long _and_ added regularly (unlike someone else we all know...). The basic idea is that Kagome never traveled back through the well, so all the trouble starts in the present time because she still has the jewel inside her. You can find the story with the StoryID 1735740 or at my favorite stories list. Give it a try!

**Reviews revisited:**

_Silver Dragon 2488_ – I'm glad you're sticking with the story despite my terribly long periods of inactivity. Honestly, I'd like to write faster, but work and stuff was really getting in the way :-/ At least I'm a bit quicker this time and the chapter has also the usual length. And, if you ever feel like drawing something, don't hesitate!

_Myeerah_ – Thanks for being honest: I've taken a look at the last chapter and it was really a bit choppy. I guess that's because that was the first time I had the group separated and wanted to give both plots equal time and importance. I'll watch out for that in the future!

_Bluefuzzyelf_ – I fear the Souta plot is still unresolved. ducks I had and have a plan what to do with him. I hope that I'm not adding too many plot elements into this story – I have noticed that all the stuff is taking longer than it should. It _should_ work out, though. :)

_Daniel Gudman_ – Well, you guessed right with the warm-up :) I wonder if that is a good thing, because I don't want to be predictable. On the other hand, building up the tension is also not bad, but I'm always trying to do better.  
Anyway, thanks for telling me about Takeda Haranobu. I picked out that name pretty much like every other name in my story – searched for a Japanese names list in Google and picked out one that sounded nice. To tell the truth, besides not knowing much about Japanese history another problem is that Japanese names all seem to have so much meaning attached to them that I'm not sure if I can chose well. Maybe I should put a bit more effort into this next time...

_Holly_ – Nice to hear from you! You weren't completely wrong about the last chapter being short – it was only two thirds of the usual length. I've tried harder this time and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. :)

_Calophi_ – Well, I think the main problem I have with my long update times is that I'll likely take _forever_ if I continue like this. I'm beginning to feel that I'm not writing a 'continuing story' but a 'neverending story'. Just not as well as Michael Ende ;) I hope the character actions are comprehensible this time, too.

_Reiyes_ – Thanks for your support with the flamers. (Nice pun, by the way :)) To my dismay, it looks like the subject of their flame is gone now since they've deleted my dictionary.

_HMPRune_ – Thanks for your honest opinion. You're not wrong that Miroku's bargaining wasn't up to his usual standards, but that's not unintended. I hope I'm not telling too much – I'm always so paranoid that people will be able to guess what will happen next ;)  
Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. If you find something off please don't hesitate to tell me! A good tip makes a review that more enjoyable :)

_Tiki-Waki_ – Well, I can't say that I disagree with your opinion about flamers. Despite that, if you actually find something strange, you're absolutely free to tell me. I'm trying to become better, after all :) Anyway, I'm glad that you like this story.

_Slvrstarlight_ – From what I've gathered till now, 'Iron Reaver Soul Stealer' seems like a mixed up word for word (syllable for syllable?) translation (and sounds a bit like a double attack to me). Anyway, the dictionary is gone, so I guess I needn't worry about it anymore. (oh what joy...)

_Admiral Biatch_ – Hmm, English's not my native tongue, so maybe I can't appreciate the unusual construct, but 'Iron Reaver Soul Stealer' sounds strange and choppy to me. (Also, I've never seen it _steal_ a soul, that sounds like necromancy). Anyway, the dictionary is no more, and I'll keep calling it Sankon Tetsusou in my story.

_TaiYoukai132_ – I hope you continue to enjoy this story. I hope to reach 200k as well, so we still have a lot ahead.

_AmunRa_ – Actually, I also think that the last impression should be the story and not the notes, but in a forum I've seen a lot of people and good authors stating their dislike for A/N at the beginning. Anyway, I think the paranoid part of you was right about Hachiro. I'm a bit displeased; I tried to be sneakier... :) Well, I guess an attentive reader notices more details, or maybe it's just gut feeling?

_Xue_ – You're absolutely right with your tips about the last chapter, but I actually didn't change it. There were a lot of changes made in the - at that time semi-functioning - quickedit thing, and I haven't kept a copy. With a bit tricking I might be able to correct it, but I don't want to risk screwing it up now that it finally looks remotely like I want it to just for two smaller changes.

_Sharibet_ – Thanks again for your nice review! I don't want to repeat myself, so all that's left to say is I hope to hear from you about this chapter or another. Viel Spaß! :)

_Lady Wolf Moon and Bob_ –Good to know you're still around and even rereading my story! Thanks for your tips, but to tell the truth I'm not bothering with correcting the old chapters anymore – it'd take too much time and I don't really trust the new upload system. But I'm sure you can also appreciate me spending time on new chapters instead!

_Hanyou-elf_ – I'm glad you took your time to review - it really was a nicer one. Although I'm sure I've made mistakes I've tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible, especially as this is basically a non-AU story. I'm sometimes wondering if I couldn't have balanced the different plot elements better, so it's nice to read that all fits together. I don't think I'll ever stop believing that there's room for improvement, though :)


	23. Chapter 22: Hope

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**December 27th, 2004:** Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from _Apocalyptica_.

**Special thanks to:  
**_Xue_ for the beta-reading, even during the holidays.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

_Hope is beauty,  
personified  
at her feet, the world,  
hypnotized_

_**Hope**_

They laid Inuyasha down cautiously. Miroku looked out the door. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"Houshi-sama, sit down," Sango commanded. "Kaede-sama and the villagers are taking charge of the mess outside; we've got ourselves to worry about."

Miroku nodded and settled into a cross-legged position. "I think we should cut the sleeve off," he said, indicating his wounded arm. "This robe is ruined, anyway."

"What do we do about Inuyasha?" Kagome interjected, her eyes still fixed on the hanyou.

Sango gave Inuyasha a brief look over. His whole jacket was stained with blood, so it was hard to tell if he had stopped bleeding or not. He _was_ still breathing, though. "There's nothing I know that we can do for him. I think it's safest not to interfere with his natural healing for now. Youki sometimes works in strange ways." She had already begun to free Miroku's arm, going with his advice to cut of the sleeve.

Kagome swallowed. "There must be something we can do!"

"Cleaning him wouldn't be bad idea, but we don't have to hurry," Miroku said.

"You could still get some water, Kagome, we will need it, anyway," Sango said after a second. She nodded at Miroku's arm. "This wound will need stitching."

Kagome also took a look at Miroku's hurt arm. There was a deep cut and it seemed as if part of the flesh had been ripped away. "It's still bleeding!" She could only guess that it had been Hachiro with his sword - she hadn't seen the monk getting wounded. It must have happened while she had gone for her bow - Sango had told her to get it and she had followed her advice. She had come back just in time - both Miroku and Sango had been cornered.

"It's not bleeding heavily," Sango said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We can wait a bit and see if it stops on its own. A wound cleans itself this way."

Miroku smiled weakly. "We should watch out not to get Kaede-sama's hut all bloody."

"Stupid, now's not the time for jokes," Sango scolded. "Anyway, could you get some water, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded and went to get a bucket. She knew the hut well enough to know where to find one.

"Wait a moment," Miroku said when she got back and wanted to leave. "There's something I have to tell you."

Kagome stopped. _'I completely forgot!'_ Miroku had _killed_ a man. Even if it had been an emergency, as a Buddhist monk –

"That man isn't dead."

Kagome turned to Miroku, startled. "He's not?"

"I know how to seal my curse in time," Miroku pointed out. "Might I remind you, Kagome-sama, that your... courage on our first meeting would have gotten you swallowed otherwise?"

Kagome looked down, feeling stupid. She remembered jumping in to prevent Inuyasha from being swallowed by Miroku's hand; the monk had closed the Kazaana quickly despite being surprised by her action.

"Anyway," Miroku continued, "the man vanished, but not into the Kazaana. I don't know how he did it, but keep your eyes open and take your bow with you. There's no telling what Isobe's planning to do."

Kagome looked out of the door. The thought that it wasn't over yet made her worry. While Hachiro had vanished in good health, they couldn't say the same of themselves. Sango had a problem with her leg, Miroku had received a deep cut on the arm, and she could only hope that Inuyasha would survive with his youkai powers. Her scraped palm seemed like nothing compared to the injuries of her friends, but fact was that they would be in no condition to fight Hachiro again for the next days.

'_If only we hadn't been caught flatfooted,'_ Kagome thought bitterly. _'We fought more among ourselves than against him.'_ She went to retrieve her bow, took it with her, and silently left the hut.

Miroku looked after her, frowning, and then turned back to his wounded arm.

"So he's still alive..." Sango said absentmindedly.

---------

Kagome looked at the small unconscious child whom the villagers had found in the destroyed hut. She guessed that the girl was about eight years old, judging from her face. A bump could be seen near her temple - Kaede had said that it was beyond luck that the wooden beam hadn't crushed her skull.

Kagome clenched her fists, ignoring the pain from the scratch on her hand.

"Hisa!" she could hear a man shout from her left.

She looked up, seeing two adults running towards her. _'Her parents?' _Would they be shocked by the bump? Kaede had said it was beyond luck that she hadn't been killed by Inuyasha's blood claws or her skull been crushed by the beam. Nonetheless, the scratch at the girl's side _was_ from them, or at least from the debris. The wound wasn't deep – beyond luck – but the little girl's kimono was destroyed.

She almost knelt down to smooth the fabric, but stepped back, unable to look the parents in the eye, when the woman rushed to her daughter's side.

"Sorry," she whispered, too silent for anyone to hear.

She turned around and headed back to Kaede's hut with the bucket.

When she entered, she could see that they had already taken Inuyasha's jacket and shirt off and rested his head on them. The left side of his chest was encrusted with blood; at least it was rising and sinking. The sight was horrible.

Miroku looked up from his sitting position, stopping to examine his own arm. It was still bleeding. "You've got the water?" he asked quietly. Sango knelt next to him and was preparing everything necessary to stitch the wound.

"Yes," Kagome answered, preparing to boil the water in the kettle. Luckily, Kaede always had a supply of wood in her hut. "I see you've found my first aid kit. Was everything inside?"

"I couldn't find the cleaning liquid you mentioned, but the other stuff is here," Sango answered. "You told me not to unpack the bandages. Still, a clean needle would have been more help, but as you said there's none inside." She shook her head, giving the first aid kit an accusing side glance.

Kagome considered for a second to tell Sango that the kit was intended just for first aid and not for surgery, but decided against it and only nodded. _'I can be glad that Sango remembered everything so well although I told her a long time ago.'_ She finished piling up the wood and, using some paper and her lighter, started the fire.

She watched it burn. The wood almost didn't catch fire in the beginning, but in the end couldn't resist the heat of the flame.

"I took a quick look outside," she told her friends, eyes sticking to the fire. "They've found a girl in the debris; I don't think she's older than six. She has a bump on the head, but beside that she seems unhurt. She's not conscious, though."

"I hope that she'll be okay," Miroku said.

Kagome nodded.

Absentmindedly, she watched the flames devour the wood. Devour wasn't the word for it, really – it took far too long for that. Devour – that implied quickness, ferocity.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, shaking her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yes..." She tore her eyes away from the fire. "I think the water's boiling now."

"Good..." Sango trailed off. "Could you help me search for the cleaning liquid? Maybe I missed it."

"Sure."

She searched for the disinfectant. It wasn't there. After giving up, Kagome helped to prepare everything for Miroku. They placed Sango's own needle and thread in the boiling water. The manual in the first aid kit suggested bandaging the wound until a doctor could tend to it, but Sango had assured them that she knew how to stitch wounds, so for lack of a real doctor, the taijiya would perform the operation.

All the while, the terribly raspy intakes of breath continued to sound quietly through the hut. Kagome almost didn't dare to look in Inuyasha's direction. Although she hadn't thought it possible, his breathing had actually gotten _worse_.

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku interrupted her, looking up weakly from his sitting spot. "Maybe you should get some rest?"

She looked at him, bewildered as to why he would say that now. "Rest?"

Sango nodded. "You don't look well, Kagome-chan. We can handle things here."

"I can't just leave you – you're all hurt worse than me," Kagome refused. _'Especially Inuyasha,'_ she added in her mind. "Stop being ridiculous."

She turned back to her work. She concentrated on her work. She put a bandage from the first aid kit into the water. Nothing was said – the noise from Inuyasha was worse than any silence could have been.

"That's enough," Sango said after a while. "We can use it to clean Inuyasha now."

"I will do that," Kagome answered, cutting off any discussion. Miroku and Sango passed a look between them, but she pretended she didn't notice. She carefully got the bandage out of the water, taking care not to burn her hands, and knelt down next to Inuyasha with her makeshift cleaning cloth.

She nodded when Sango told her to make sure not to touch the wound and just clean the exterior. She couldn't look Inuyasha in the eye while she cleaned him – these open, unseeing eyes that seemed to stare nowhere. She kept her eyes fixed on the chest and cleaned him. It was almost like painting.

Just that the color wasn't color.

"He's clean enough now, Kagome-chan," Sango stopped her finally.

Kagome nodded. Sango had cleaned Miroku's arm in the meanwhile. He still kept up the stoic facade, but his face looked more impassive than usually. He couldn't conceal that he was sweating, either.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said suddenly. She hadn't even wanted to, but the words just tumbled out of her mouth.

She lowered her head.

"What are you talking about, Kagome?" Sango asked, sounding hoarse. "You saved all of our lives today."

At that moment Kaede came in with a jug of sake in her hand. "It's cheap alcohol, but it will be enough," she told them. "You should be able to clean your wounds with this."

Sango waited a second before she took her eyes off her friend. "Thank you, Kaede-sama," she said quietly, taking the bottle.

"I'll leave the stitching to you; I'm no good at it, anymore." Kaede took in the look of the battered group. "Maybe I can find some healing herbs," she said and vanished into another room.

Sango turned back to her friend. "You don't have to blame yourself, Kagome," she said in a hushed voice.

Kagome stared down at her lap. "If I hadn't sat Inuyasha –"

"- he might have leveled the whole village," Miroku interrupted, completing her sentence.

Kagome shook her head. "I should have done something else. And sooner – the girl outside has been unconscious for half an _hour_ already!"

"You mustn't blame yourself," Miroku told her. "You only did what you thought right."

"I asked you to," Sango added. "I asked you twice to sit him."

She took a deep breath. "Kagome, I really think you should sleep over this. There isn't anything else we can do for Inuyasha. All that's left is to stitch the wound, and then we will rest as well. There's no reason for you to stay up." Sango mustered a small smile. "Trust me - there's no one angry with you."

Kagome gave Inuyasha a look, the pained expression on his face jeopardizing the truth of Sango's words.

"I'm out of the necessary herbs," Kaede said, returning to the room. "I'd hoped to have some more, but I've really used all of them over the winter. It's not the right season yet to get more."

'_She picks the worst moments...'_ Sango grumbled mentally at Kaede. "We'll have to do without."

"I could get ointment from my time," Kagome offered. Seeing the look of disagreement on the faces of her friends, Kagome quickly stood up. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Really, Kagome-chan, it's not necessary," Sango insisted. "You can get it later, too."

"Stop treating me like a child," Kagome snapped, turning to leave. "I'm _fine_."

Sango sighed, watching the girl exit through the door.

"You couldn't have stopped her," Kaede assured them. "She's the kind of person who has to do something in a situation like this."

"I guess so."

"Well, do you need anything else?" Kaede asked.

"No, thanks," Sango answered. "Wait, if you see Shippou, keep him out of the hut for now. I don't think he would keep quiet enough for me to stitch Houshi-sama's arm. I'm not sure how Shippou will take... _this_."

Kaede nodded. "I'll try to. If you need anything, I am," a slight pause, "outside."

"Do you think we shouldn't have pushed Kagome?" Sango asked Miroku after Kaede had left.

"I think we had to try – I've never seen her like this," Miroku answered. "She must be taking Inuyasha and the little girl's injuries pretty hard. She's always so energetic that it's twice as hard to see her down like this."

Sango grimaced. "I didn't want to say in front of Kagome," she began after a second, "but I think the reason we're still alive is that she didn't act sooner and Inuyasha could... use... his blood claws. If Isobe's sword hadn't been cut short, I'm not sure what might have happened – with my leg, I don't think I could have held him back."

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha, some of his anger rising again. If Sango hadn't been hurt by him, she wouldn't have been in so much danger. Damn, he didn't have to hurt Sango at all! What was he thinking, kicking her? _'He's lucky he's not conscious right now!'_ Miroku thought irritated. "It hurt, didn't it?"

"When my leg gave out? I barely even scratched my knee; you don't have to worry about it."

"I'm not talking about that! Inuyasha kicked you without holding back."

"You know, I've thought about it..." Sango was silent for a second. "Anyway, we have to treat your arm now."

"That can wait. Let me take a look at your leg!" Miroku insisted.

"It can't wait!" Sango objected, changing her sitting position so Miroku could not get a look at her leg. "You can be glad this arm is still on your body, but we mustn't let the wound become infected. Time is of the essence!"

With that, she took Miroku's arm and examined it. "I'm glad it's finally stopped bleeding. How do you feel?" she asked professionally, cutting off any discussion.

"Quite all right," Miroku answered rebelliously.

"You've lost a lot of blood," Sango explained. "If it hadn't stopped, I would have had to do something about it."

Miroku kept his face resolute, but was quite glad that he'd likely never know what 'something' was.

Sango took the bottle of sake Kaede had left. "This will hurt," she warned.

"I will grit my teeth."

And he indeed gritted his teeth - the high percentage alcohol hurt like hell. When Sango finally stopped, he couldn't help but expel a breath.

"That should be enough," Sango commented.

"Why, that was refreshing. Maybe your leg would also need AAAAAAH." Miroku cried out.

"On the other hand, better safe than sorry," Sango said, closing the bottle after pouring a bit more over Miroku's wound. "Now keep quiet and let me stitch your arm."

Miroku followed her request, needing a second to catch his breath.

Sango carefully took needle and thread out of the kettle and prepared to stitch Miroku's arm. "Your wound isn't a clean cut, so this might take a while."

Miroku nodded, getting his facial expression under control again. He cautiously watched the needle inch closer. Expecting the worst, he clenched his jaw.

Sango made the first stitch.

'_That didn't hurt!'_ Well, so it hurt a bit, but not as bad as he had expected. He waited for the next stitch, expecting it to belie his observation, but it really wasn't that bad. _'Looks like she knows what she's doing,'_ Miroku thought, relieved that the sake seems to have been the worst of it. "You're good at that, Sango."

"Not too good," Sango said, keeping her eyes on his arm. "All taijiya learned basic emergency care, but I don't have much experience. If it's done well, it considerably reduces the time needed for healing and the scar will usually be much smaller."

"Looks fine to me," Miroku said.

"Thanks," Sango said and leaned a bit closer to his wound, hoping that he wouldn't see the blood rushing to her face. "So, Isobe is still alive?"

Miroku nodded. "I don't know how he vanished. I felt a quick spark of energy, but it was too short to tell more."

"Do you think he's a youkai?"

After a second, Miroku shook his head. "I don't think so. Either Kagome-sama or I would have noticed if he wasn't human. We two sat with him in the hut for quite a while, too."

"There are youkai who can cloud their aura," Sango reminded him.

"We can't rule it out," Miroku agreed. "Still, I think he was honestly trying to trade with us. I can't imagine a youkai doing that. What use would he have for money?"

"I guess you're right." Sango paused with the needle and turned to look at Inuyasha. "I wonder what kind of connection he has to Inuyasha..."

"I have no clue," Miroku said. "The whole thing happened all of a sudden. Maybe Inuyasha mistook him for someone? Isobe didn't seem to know him."

"I maybe could believe that, if he wasn't involved in my great-grandfather's death as well. It's too much of a coincidence." Sango turned back to Miroku's arm and continued stitching his wound. "First Eiji and now Isobe – Inuyasha knew them both."

"I hadn't thought about that," Miroku admitted. "But Isobe's too young. You've seen Eiji - he was a child back then and now he's an old man."

"What if Isobe _is_ a youkai?" Sango countered. She stopped treating Miroku's arm again, her face hardening. "What if he himself killed my great-grandfather?"

"That would indeed be a plan fit for a demon, now demanding money for telling you about it," Miroku said. "Still, maybe he's a descendant of someone Inuyasha knew in the past? If they looked similar, Inuyasha could have mistaken him for his ancestor."

"Hmm," Sango said. "Why are you so sure that Inuyasha mistook him?"

"He even said that he didn't... approve of Inuyasha's name," Miroku answered. "That didn't sound like he knew him to me."

Sango grimaced - Miroku was right. _'Inuyasha? What a stupid name,'_ Isobe had said – that didn't sound like he knew him. In that case, why would he try to kill Inuyasha after the fight was over? _'And why would he attack us after almost killing Inuyasha?'_

She sighed and resumed stitching Miroku's wound. "I don't know - it might be as you say, but I don't believe it. When Inuyasha wakes up, I'll definitely ask him if he hasn't forgotten to tell me something about himself, Isobe, Eiji and my great-grandfather."

Miroku gave the heavily wounded hanyou a side glance. "I'm sure we're all waiting for this," he added thoughtfully.

Sango swallowed and nodded. She didn't look up from his arm.

"I don't think we should leave him in this youkai state for too long," Miroku commented. "As soon as he starts getting better, we should give him back Tetsusaiga."

"You're right," Sango agreed. "He doesn't look better yet, though…" He hadn't even moved since they had laid him there. "I wonder if Isobe really missed his heart," she added as an afterthought.

"He obviously did," Miroku said, puzzled. "I admit it's really close, but he probably just hit a vital blood vessel - I don't think that even Inuyasha could survive with a sword shoved through his heart. And Tetsusaiga is not just any -"

"You misunderstood me," Sango interrupted him. "With Inuyasha immobile on the ground, I doubt that Isobe could have missed Inuyasha's heart if he intended to hit it. I think that he missed on purpose."

"That's a daring theory," Miroku said finally. "But what does it tell us? That he wanted Inuyasha to die slowly?"

"I don't know," Sango admitted. "I guess we'll have to wait for Inuyasha to wake up."

---------

Finally, the well had come into view. Kagome allowed herself to slow her steps somewhat. She hadn't met anyone on the way here, but she was clutching her bow nonetheless. She concentrated on her sixth sense once more, but couldn't locate anyone that way, either. She was alone.

As she approached the well, she licked the scratch on her palm. She guessed that she looked like some animal, but there was no one here to see her, so she didn't care. _'I'll be able to use the ointment for my hand as well,'_ she thought absentmindedly. Her friends came first, though – they were the ones who had really been injured.

She wondered if she shouldn't have run to get her bow. Maybe she could have distracted Isobe otherwise? _'Yeah, right. Like you could have threatened him with you bare hands...'_

She guessed that it had been for the best to follow Sango's advice. Right before Sango had jumped in to help Miroku, her friend had told her to get her bow. She realized how much trust Sango had placed in her – the girl must have entered the fight without thinking that she could win by herself, just to buy time for Kagome. The gambit had paid off - in the end, they were all still alive.

Kagome swallowed, remembering that the statement might not apply completely to Inuyasha. She reached the well and propped herself up on the edge. _'It was me who did this to him.' _If she hadn't sat him...

'_Get a grip, Kagome. You have to hurry!'_ Trying to concentrate on the present, Kagome pushed the memories away and jumped into the well. Before she reached the ground, her surroundings twisted into a blur of colors.

After a few seconds, the spectacle ended and her feet tapped the ground in her time. _'I have to make sure that everyone gets well again,'_ she thought as she climbed up the well.

Thinking of getting well, she remembered Souta. _'I wonder how he's doing? I should try calling the hospital again. Maybe I'll be lucky and won't have to talk to that crazy nurse again.'_ If she wasn't able to reach her mother, she should leave her a note in the kitchen. It might be a while before she came back to her time.

Kagome heaved herself over the edge of the well. _'This day must stand under a bad star. All people do is get hurt.'_ Seriously, how much more could go wrong?

She cursed herself for asking when she left the well shrine and found her mother waiting in front of the house, looking none too pleased. _'How can she be here? I wasn't in the past for long.'_ She waved her hand. "Mama." Kagome walked towards her, already feeling guilty.

"Where have you been, Kagome?"

'_That's one of those rhetorical parent-questions,'_ Kagome thought. It didn't matter what you replied, because there was no right answer. "The past," she stated the obvious, her tone somewhat hesitant.

"I hope it was fun?" Asami asked coldly.

Kagome looked down, avoiding her mother's eyes.

'_Get away from him.'  
'Mr. Isobe is a friend! Stop!'  
'Inuyasha, how could you?'  
'Miroku, get me a weapon.'  
'Kagome! Stop Inuyasha!'  
'I can't! Not in a fight.'  
'You can't let this go on! There are people around.'_

'_Osuwari.'_

Kagome started to shake. "It was not," she brought out, her throat getting tight. When she felt the first tears biting at her eyes, she ran past her mother and into the house.

'_It wasn't fun!'_ she thought, her vision watery. She stormed into her room, throwing the door shut. She cast her bow and quiver into the corner and collapsed on the bed.

'_You have my thanks.'  
'Inuyasha? What a stupid name.'  
'Never turn your back on friends.'_

'_You stay there.'_

Kagome was crying into her pillow. _'This isn't FUN!'_

There was a knock at the door; a second later someone entered the room. Kagome kept her face pressed into her pillow.

"Kagome, I don't understand you," Asami said.

"It wasn't fun!" Kagome cried, refusing to look at her mother.

"Then why did you go to the past?" Asami asked. "I was afraid, you know!"

"Afraid?" Kagome asked incredulously. "What of?"

"I called, Kagome. I called three times; I let it ring each time," Asami told her daughter. "You never answered. I thought something happened to you."

Kagome finally turned around, feeling guilty. "Mama, I –" she sniffed, wiping at her cheeks.

"Kagome, what's this?" Asami interrupted her, catching sight of the scratch at Kagome's palm.

"I scratched –"

"Did Inuyasha do this?"

Kagome was speechless for a second. "No! He did not!"

Asami gave her daughter an inquisitive stare.

Kagome stared back. "I fell and scratched the palm of my hand. That's all!"

Asami finally nodded. "Why did Inuyasha take you with him?"

"He didn't," Kagome objected again. "I took him with me!"

"And why didn't you bring him back?"

'_Because he's half dead!'_ Kagome answered silently. She turned away and wiped at her eyes.

"Kagome, do you think I don't notice that Inuyasha's avoiding me?"

"He's not," Kagome objected. "It's not possible for him to come here right now."

Asami's face hardened. "Inuyasha _ran_ away from me last night. He _ran_ from his responsibility. And now he _conveniently_ can't come back. Kagome, I don't know if you believe it, but you should hear yourself talk."

Kagome thought about what to do. Should she tell her mother what had happened? _'But I never do!'_ She had always avoided telling her mother the messy details of her adventures in the past. But this time, she didn't think that she could clean this up another way. "Mama, we got into a fight..."

She hardened her resolve and looked her mother straight in the eye. "A man attacked us, and if my friends hadn't saved me, I wouldn't have just a scratch. They're all hurt badly. Inuyasha couldn't come with me. He... he hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Asami was silent for a second. "You're telling me the truth, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded resolutely. "I am! Mama, I wouldn't lie about this!"

Asami looked away, avoiding her daughter's eyes. "Does something like that happen often?"

"Sometimes..." Kagome answered, turning to stare at the same spot as her mother. "But the point is that Inuyasha isn't running away. Inuyasha... he even came back with me last night, but you didn't come home and we couldn't reach you... I'm sure he wants to apologize to Souta. He will come back."

There was a short silence. "So, how is Souta?" Kagome asked when her mother didn't answer. "Is he all right?"

Asami sighed. "For the circumstances. They've put his arm in a sling and told him not to move it for the next week. He's sleeping in his room."

"Oh," Kagome answered, startled. "He's already back ...?"

"Well, Souta didn't need surgery," Asami explained, sounding a bit annoyed. "What did you think?"

"I don't know," Kagome answered truthfully. "I… I didn't think it was good news that you had to stay overnight."

"If the young doctor hadn't wanted to wait for the head of the department to double-check, we wouldn't have taken so long."

"Then Souta will be all right?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"They are hoping that it will heal correctly since he's so young," Asami said evenly. "They want to check how he's doing in a week."

Kagome gulped. "There could be complications?"

"Not likely."

Kagome couldn't help but notice that her mother was still staring on the floor. She found it somewhat eerie. "So, ummm, can I visit him?" she finally asked.

"He's sleeping right now. It was a long night and he's had less sleep than me," Asami said. "We should be silent to avoid waking him or Jii-chan."

Kagome nodded. _'I should be heading back,'_ she thought with a look at her clock.

She sighed. "I'll be on my way." She got up and went to retrieve her bow which still lay in the corner of her room. She felt bad for discarding it like that and took it up with extra care.

"You're leaving?" her mother asked.

"I promised to bring disinfectant and ointment with me. I should hurry."

Asami didn't answer immediately. "I have that downstairs. I'll show you," she finally said and led the way out of the room.

Kagome followed Asami, but put a hand on her mother's shoulder after a few steps to stop her.

Asami turned around. "Kagome?"

"Thanks, Mama," Kagome said and hugged her mother. She closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's okay," Asami said, hugging her back. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"Me too," Kagome said.

"So we're both sorry, I guess…"

They both laughed quietly for minute, not letting go. _'Thank you, Mama!'_ She didn't think that she could have handled having her mother against her, not on this day. _'I'm sorry for making you worry.'_

Finally, they released each other.

"I really should be going now," Kagome said. "My friends will worry."

Asami's smile faded a bit. "Let's go, then."

Kagome followed her mother, but stopped when she passed Souta's door.

"Kagome?" her mother asked. "Are you coming?"

"Just a glance," Kagome promised and opened the door before her mother could object.

She peered inside, finding her brother lying in his bed. Souta's chest was rising and sinking regularly. Apparently, he was asleep. His face looked neutral, not twisted into a pained grimace anymore.

"Kagome, let him rest!" her mother told her in a hushed voice.

"Yes," Kagome said.

She took a last look at her brother before closing the door. _'See you better, Souta!'_

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Well, I took my time, but at least the chapter is released before New Year. I didn't spend a lot of time on fanfiction lately since my study demanded all of my time. Please forgive me for being so damn slow – I'm really doing my best!

Anyway, I have holidays now and plan to get some writing done. Before that, I want to finish editing my old chapters, though. I've started to edit them, trying to repair the worst parts without having to change anything important – I wasn't just lazy those last months. :) Part of the next chapter is already written, but I really have to finish editing first.

What else has happened? I was nominated for the IYFG Award, in the categories _Drama_ and _Continuing_. Sadly, I didn't get a lot of votes... Well, at least I also didn't finish last. There was tough competition, all right. :) Thanks to the people who gave me their vote!

In case you need something to entertain yourselves until I release the next chapter, I want to make recommendations again. The first is the Inuyasha story _Gossamer Dreams_ - it has a somewhat unusual plot and is maybe not for everyone, but I liked it a lot. The author's name is Teresa and the StoryID is 1589365. The first chapter is a bit confusing, so try to read at least the first two chapters.

Second is an anime: _Juuni Kokki _(or _The Twelve Kingdoms_). It's about a girl traveling (or rather being traveled) to another world and struggling to live there. That might seem like a standard plot, but it's much, much better than it sounds. It's relatively realistic and has a lot of psychological and political subplots. I've done some research and found out that the source for the anime is not a manga but a series of books – maybe that's why it's refreshingly different? And if I'm not mistaken, Inuyasha's voice actor provides his voice for the Kirin of En.

Anyway – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-

**Reviews revisited:**

_Holly_ – You were the first reviewer this time! I'm glad you're still with me – there's a lot of people coming and going... I also spend less time on Inuyasha than I used to, but sometimes there's a story that can still catch my interest. I guess the main problem is that after 30.000 stories, most plots seem like repetitions.

_Patricia_ – Hmm, I wish your husband good luck. If there's something specific you want to tell me, please write me an E-Mail.

_Azmidiske_ – I'm glad you like my story. I had planned to make the scene between Hachiro and Inuyasha a surprise, but I hope it wasn't too sudden. By the way, the name Inuyasha remembered in his dream is Haranobu.

_Daniel Gudman_ – Thanks a lot for your suggestions! They were all explained comprehensibly. About the last one, German doesn't make a difference between 'lying' and 'laying', so I wasn't aware of this difference till now. Well, you never stop learning. :)  
I'm also glad that at least one person noticed "Never turn you back on friends." I've had that phrase in my head ever since I started writing this story.

_Shaid_ – Well, I've somewhat resolved the situation between Kagome and her mother, but that's only a fraction of all the persons involved. The tensions in the past are far from resolved, too. Nonetheless, I won't forget to address the different problems, at least I hope so. :)

_Moi-inconnue_ – To my embarrassment I have to say that I'm a very lazy updater. I have no plans to stop writing this story, it's just that my free time is shrinking more and more. One of the first things that suffers from that is writing, sadly. I hope to speed up a bit again, though!

_Dauq_ – I'm glad that my diversion from two chapters ago worked. :) Well, it was the most plausible way to introduce Hachiro, too. I'd feared that the fight was too sudden, but it seems to work. I'm glad that you liked the exchange between Inuyasha and Shippou – I like adding pieces like that one and it's nice to see that they add to the atmosphere.  
I hope I found the right balance with Kagome's mother and got her both angry and understanding. To tell the truth, I wonder if I shouldn't have made her a bit more angry – it's just that Kagome's mother in the manga is always so übernice.

_Myeerah_ – I hope Kagome sitting Inuyasha was understandable. I've tried to create a situation where she didn't have much of a choice, but maybe there was one? If you have an idea, I'd like to hear about it - maybe I can work it into the story somehow.

_Sharibet_ – Hmmm, my writing is maybe really leaning more towards the negative side, but I try to keep it as balanced as possible. Maybe it comes from reading too many books for boys when I was a child? :)

_Reiyes_ – Thanks for telling me about Inuyasha's character in the last chapter. When I get there with my editing (hopefully soon), I'll watch out for that. I'm glad that my introduction of Hachiro works.

_Son Inuyasha_ – I'm glad that you like my story and my last chapter in particular. I always like to hear that people agree with my characterisation.

_TaiYoukai132_ – Wow, that was a nice way to say that you like my story! :)

_HMPrune_ – As you can maybe imagine, I was really glad that my surprise worked. :) I think I've reached the peak now with things left open, ranging from Inuyasha's past over Sango's grandpa to the recent happenings. I did a bit on the front in Kagome's time, but not too much. (Neither Inuyasha, Souta nor Jii-chan were present).  
Well, at least I've spared Miroku. I really tried to give him a headache about killing, but it just would fit into the plot. grumbles Hope to hear from you!

_Omnitoad_ – He, that was a different opinion for once! Would be nice if more readers were patient like you... To be honest, I'm a very impatient reader as well and it's sometimes really inconvenient – I guess you can be glad for this trait. :)

_Lonehamster_ – I think I had one or two 'normal' sits as well (chapter 3 comes to my mind), but you're right that it's usually not a cause for laughter in my story. I think if you leave the slapstick out of it, there's not much humor in a sit. I personally never found it too funny.  
I'm glad that you like my somewhat dark take of an Inuyasha story – I try my best to throw in nice pieces as well. If there's a relevance for the plot, I don't shy away from either. :)

_AmunRa_ – I think it's good sign that I gave you a bad feeling about Hachiro even before he fought with Inuyasha. I hope I was able to introduce his character – I couldn't have include more parts than I did. I can't wait for Inuyasha's revival – as you said, it will be a complicated situation and should be interesting to write, too.  
I'm also grateful for your opinion on chapters length. I've tried the middle course and made it a bit shorter than usual, but included the part with Kagome and her mother against the original plan.

_BakaBokken_ – It's good to know that you can find this story via favorites lists as well. It's on those of some of my readers, but they are naturally biased. :) Please excuse my occasional spelling mistake, English's not my native tongue. My beta-readers have helped a lot, but they can't catch everything. ;)  
Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I've finally gotten beyond the introduction and can now proceed with the interesting stuff. It took much longer than I expected, so it's nice to hear that it's not boring or drawn-out.

_Szmadad_ – I think my stance to the 'sit'-command is very similar to yours. When I started to watch Inuyasha, I needed some time to get used to it. Later, I didn't like how every other episode seemed to end with a joke sit. I guess this has also influenced my writing.  
Yes, the title also refers to Kagome. However, I think there's a lot of 'betrayal' in the last chapter - Hachiro betrays Sango by almost killing Inuyasha. Sango is the first to try stopping Inuyasha because of her grandpa. Inuyasha fights in the village that has accepted him into their midst and almost kills a young girl in the process. I think these actions can be described as 'violation of trust' as well.  
Anyway, thanks for your good review. I hope to hear from you!

_TamokoSanjii_ – I'm really glad that you liked this story. I definitely know how it is to stay up all night reading something. :) I'm glad that you like my take on Inuyasha, he's sometimes not easy to write since he's still in his early teens and not even ageing as quickly as me since I write so slowly. Let's see: two weeks vs. two years.  
About Inuyasha and Kagome, I don't want to give away my future plot. It's a pet peeve of mine – I always feel like people give away the end of their story by telling the pairings. Please bear with me!

_Kellen_ – I know what you mean – having to wait between each chapter is annoying. Sadly, that's how 99 of the stories on are written. Not that I can complain... Anyway, I hope that the wait wasn't too long and you could still enjoy this chapter!

_Lying Fool_ – I'm writing this story for more than two years now, and I won't stop now. On the contrary, I have to increase my writing speed again! Well, I don't have cliffhangers too often, but if there is one, I try to make it as bad as possible. It looks like it works to increase the effect. :)

_AidbiA_ – Yes, I'm also looking forward to writing about all the situations that will arise. If you add Kaede, Miroku and Sango, it should provide most interesting scenes. :)

_Always-a-kiwi_ – I'm glad that you like my writing style and my characterisation. Especially the latter has always been a special concern of mine, maybe also because a lot of Inuyasha stories don't pay enough attention to it. Hope to hear from you!

_Varethane_ – I guess the thing I try to avoid most with this story is to explain things. I've found out that I love being mysterious. :) From now on, though, I don't think that I can avoid revealing some of my secrets... Also, thanks for reassuring me that my English's good enough!  
About the fault you mentioned, I couldn't find it. There's no mention of the name Isobe to find in chapter 3. Maybe it was another chapter? If you still know where it is, could you tell me about it? E-Mail would also be okay, if it is easier for you.

_MarcellaRyoko_ – I guess at least you were lucky and didn't have to wait for the new chapter for long. Many of my other readers read the chapter more than two months ago. :) Hope you like this chapter, too!


	24. Chapter 23: Lost between Horizons Part 1

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**February 15th, 2005:** Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _...And Oceans_.

**Special thanks to:  
**_Xue_ for helping me with the beta-reading. Thanks a lot!

* * *

**Chapter 23**

_No place  
to crawl  
No space  
to fall_

_**Lost between Horizons – Part 1: Eaten by the Distance**_

Sango was about to finish bandaging Miroku's wound. She took a safety pin from Kagome's first-aid kit and used it to pin the bandage. Finally, she took the triangular scarf kit and, following the instructions from the little manual, made a sling for Miroku's arm and secured it.

"Done," she said and exhaled. "Is the bandage loose enough?"

Miroku moved his arm a bit, taking care not to stress the wound. "Yes, seems good to me."

Sango nodded. Now they couldn't do more than wait: for Miroku to heal, for Kagome to come back, for Inuyasha to wake up. She closed her eyes for a minute – it was the first time she could relax since the whole mess. She had had to concentrate all the time, especially since she didn't have much experience with stitching. She didn't want to be responsible for Miroku losing his arm, either. She thought that it looked good now, but the wound might still become infected.

Inuyasha's raspy breathing continued to sound quietly through the hut, an eerie reminder of his dance with death. It was hard to hear as long as they talked, but in the silence it was easy to make out. She listened for signs of improvement, but it still sounded the same. She opened her eyes and looked at him. His youkai markings and his red eyes were still present. _'Nope, it doesn't look better at all.'_ At least it didn't look worse, either.

'_Even Inuyasha's healing powers have their limits,'_ she told herself. _'He'll be fine. He will.'_

She looked at Miroku out of the corner of her eye. His face was more strained than usual - his arm had to hurt. A lot of thoughts had gone through her head while she had bandaged it._ 'I don't want this to happen again!'_ Sango clenched her fist. If he hadn't been distracted by her…

She watched him for a long time – he had leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes closed. She felt sorry for him, but this wasn't something that could wait any longer.

At that moment, Kaede entered the hut. "Just checking. Is everything all right with you?"

Sango expelled a breath she hadn't noticed holding.

"Yes, Kaede-sama," Miroku answered politely. "Sango did a very good job on my arm."

Kaede looked at the other person in the room. "Sango? Are you all right?"

"Yes, Kaede-sama. I'm just a bit tired."

"Very well," Kaede said and turned to leave. "I'm outside if you need something."

"We will remember," Miroku said. "Thank you very much for your help."

After the old miko had left, he leaned back again, trying to think of something they had missed, some little detail about Isobe that would shed some light on the situation. The man had appeared almost out of the blue. _'The sudden fight between him and Inuyasha is even more mysterious.'_

Most importantly, how had Isobe disappeared? Had he used his own power or some kind of item? Where was he? Had he disappeared for good or would he come back to attack them again? Without knowing the man's motives it was impossible to tell.

"There's something I wanted to talk with you about," Sango said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Sango?"

"It's about you stepping in between Isobe and me," Sango began reluctantly and came to a stop.

"It's okay, Sango, you don't have to –"

"I don't want you to do it again."

"Eh?"

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do," Sango continued.

"Sango!" Miroku exclaimed, disappointment seeping into his voice. "I had to help you - you were hurt! I don't need any thanks, but this..."

Sango was silent for a while. "Houshi-sama, I appreciate your concern; really, I do. But our best chance to defeat him was to face him united. If we had fought _together_, we might have easily cornered him. Instead, he almost finished us off one after the other. If the same happened with Naraku, we would be dead. All of us."

Sango swallowed and continued more fervently. "I _won't _let that happen. I can't let our… relationship interfere with our judgement. We can't present a weakness. If this relationship endangers our safety, I will end it." Sango took a deep breath. "Here and now."

"Sango?" Miroku asked, bewildered. He swallowed. "You... you don't mean that, do you?"

"I'm sorry." Sango looked away, her voice becoming hoarse. "Not again. I'm sorry."

She stood up and turned to leave the room. Miroku bolted up and ran after her. _'Why is she talking like this all of a sudden? This can't be true!'_ He reached Sango and stopped her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Sango! I can't follow your reasoning! I can't accept this!"

Sango stood still. "Let go, Houshi-sama," she said very quietly. "Just let go of me."

Miroku hesitated, not wanting to follow her request. _'There's no use in trying to hold her back,'_ he thought desperately, reluctantly relaxing his fingers. _'But I can't let her go like this!'_

He let go, but only for a second. Hoping that she wouldn't think he was trying to hold her back by force, he embraced her from behind and pressed her against him. "What is this all about?"

He felt her body stiffen. "Sango, I can't let go until you explain this to me," he said, hoping that she wouldn't just break free and leave. "I don't see anything wrong in me trying to protect you. You protected me, too! Isn't that what friends are there for?"

Sango sighed. "You mustn't protect me when there's no reason to. Houshi-sama, we've faced a lot of battles, and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. If you go into a fight with your current attitude..."

She wiped at her face with her arm. "If you turn your attention to protecting me instead of concentrating on our fights, you will not come out alive. Miroku, I don't want to lose you. My friends. I don't want to lose you all. I couldn't take that. Not again!" To Miroku's dismay, Sango suddenly started to sob.

'_This is really getting to her,'_ Miroku thought . He still didn't really understand her. _'Protecting and helping you - isn't that what friends are there for?'_ But he would have to figure it out later; Sango was shaking in his arms.

"Sango, it's okay. I'm not going to die." He turned her around and Sango leaned against his chest. She was full-out crying and he hugged her, hoping to calm her down. She had said that she didn't want to lose her friends _again_ – she was referring to Kohaku and her family, wasn't she? _'But why all of a sudden? We've skirted death plenty of times, sometimes closer than this.'_

"Sango, you talk about not wanting to lose your friends. Is that not a reason to protect each other?" he asked. "You are afraid of losing everything, while you should be happy with what you have." Sango kept crying. "I know I am," he added. When she didn't answer, he confined himself to holding her.

After a while, Sango finally seemed to be calming down, but she didn't stop sobbing. He hesitated, considering his words. The only thing coming to his mind was a topic he didn't like to broach, yet he couldn't think of anything else.

"I wandered for many years without goal, just searching for a monster I didn't know more than legends about," he told her quietly. "After the death of my father, I was looking for Naraku by myself. Do you think that is preferable? To not have anyone you're afraid to lose?"

Sango didn't answer for a while. "That's not what I'm talking about," she finally objected in a quiet tone. "I don't see this from some philosophical point of view. Your miscalculation today almost cost you your life. And the reason for your miscalculation is me. It is as simple as that."

"Sango, maybe fighting together would have been better," Miroku began, struggling to find the words to voice his thoughts. "But it is only human to make wrong decisions. And if you're clever, you won't lament the past but learn from it not to make those wrong decisions again."

"You're good with words," Sango said and stepped away a bit from Miroku. "But our way of thinking is very different."

"That's what I like about us," Miroku countered. He took her hand into his. "Sango, please consider that your way of thinking is more cut out for battle than everyday life."

Sango was silent. After a moment, a glint entered her eye. "So, Miroku, you will admit that your way of thinking is cut out more for everyday life than battle?"

"Well…" Miroku said, buying time for his answer. _'That was sneaky,'_ he thought. At least she looked like she had finally calmed down. "I think that you have more experience with youkai-hunting than me."

"So you trust my judgement that you decided wrong?" Sango asked. "That you shouldn't rush to protect me if it's putting all of us into danger?"

"I trust you, Sango," Miroku answered. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss.

"You're changing the topic," Sango said a bit flustered.

"That's for calling me by my name," Miroku said, mustering a smile. "Even twice."

"You're not serious…" Sango stepped forward and embraced Miroku. "Promise me that you won't ever do something like you did today again. Prove that you learn from the past."

Miroku nodded. "I promise, Sango."

"You really scared me back there…"

Miroku laughed quietly. "You scared me too, you know?"

"You keep being silly." Sango let go of him and looked to the ground. "I… I'll go look for Kagome. You rest now."

"Yes, ma'am," Miroku agreed. "I'll just go get a futon to sleep on."

"Stay here," Sango said and looked up. "I'll get one for you," she offered with a small smile. Before Miroku could say anything, she was out of the door.

-

Kagome entered the hut. "I'm back!"

She found Miroku sitting in the corner, leaning against the wall. She noticed that his arm was bandaged. "Hi Miroku! Is Sango already finished with your arm?"

Miroku looked up, seeming a bit surprised. "Kagome-sama! Did you meet Sango?"

"Sango?" Kagome asked curiously. "Is she looking for me?"

"Yes, she just left a minute ago, intending to look for you. I guess she went the other way…"

Kagome nodded. "Any news?" she asked as she got the backpack off her back. After she placed it on the floor, she walked over to Inuyasha.

"Not really," Miroku said, suddenly sounding more tired.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. She thought that the wound in his chest had already started to close, but maybe it was just her imagination? She clenched her jaw, frustrated that there was _nothing_ she could do to help him.

"Kagome!" she suddenly heard Sango behind her.

Kagome looked up and turned towards her friend. She saw a rolled futon in Sango's hands, likely for herself or Miroku. _'Or both of them?'_

"I'm back," she said with a small smile. She nodded at her backpack. "I have everything we could need with me. Ointment, disinfectant, you name it."

"Thanks a lot, Kagome. I'm sure it will help a lot," Sango said. After a short silence she gave Kagome a curious glance. "You look better," she told her honestly.

Kagome smiled. "It's nothing." She looked back to Inuyasha, her smile saddening. "Do you think he'll be all right? He will, won't he?"

"Inuyasha isn't better yet, but so far his condition has been stable," Miroku answered. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"We think that Isobe missed everything vital," Sango said, putting down the bed roll.

"Really?" Kagome asked hopefully.

Miroku nodded. "Yes, we're pretty sure that Isobe could have killed him if he wanted –" He stopped when he noticed Kagome's face darkening with guilt. He saw Sango giving him an angry look. He grimaced, apologizing silently.

"I guess Inuyasha won't like that," Kagome said, looking down to Inuyasha. "That he could have been killed because of me."

Sango turned to her friend after giving Miroku a final stare. "We didn't know that Isobe would exploit your spell like that."

"If you hadn't stopped him, there might have been more hurt people like that small girl," Miroku chimed in. "He was already preparing his next claws of blood."

Kagome nodded, but didn't take her eyes off Inuyasha. "He still won't like it."

"No, he won't," Miroku agreed. "But he will recover."

When Kagome didn't answer, Miroku decided to tell her of their assumption. Even if it wasn't easy for her, she seemed to take it better than Sango obviously thought. Maybe Kagome found a piece in the puzzle that they had missed. "Isobe seemed to be a very good fighter and we think that he wouldn't miss Inuyasha's heart unintentionally."

"What's that got to do with it?" Kagome asked confusedly.

Sango, having put down the bed roll, walked over to Kagome and looked down at Inuyasha like her friend. "We think that he just hit an important blood vessel or maybe scratched the heart. If he had really hit the heart, I don't think Inuyasha would still breathe."

Kagome shook her head. "It could be possible. He wasn't killed by the arrow through his heart, either."

"Through his heart?" Sango asked in a surprised tone. "Are you talking about the time you freed him?"

Kagome nodded. "I guess you only heard that he was pinned to the tree, but – Kikyou took good aim."

Sango looked at Inuyasha, a look of disbelief on her face. "And he survived?"

"I don't know if you can call it surviving, but for fifty years, he didn't die. He didn't even realize at first that it had been so long. I don't know if he remembers anything about the time; he never talks about it."

"There goes our theory," Miroku said, having joined them as well.

"Do you have any others?" Kagome asked.

"We can save that for later," Sango cut in before Miroku could answer. "We all should get some rest."

Kagome at first wanted to disagree, but she had to admit that her friend was right. She had only noticed after leaving home, but she _was_ tired. She hadn't slept well that night, either, with her worries over her brother. _'At least Souta's better,'_ Kagome thought. _'Almost as if Inuyasha took his place, being injured…'_

"You're right, Sango," she agreed.

"I take it you want to stay here?" Miroku asked.

Kagome nodded, her eyes straying to the injured hanyou. "Yes."

"We'll leave you the futon, then," Miroku decided, pointing at the bed roll on the floor.

He turned to leave and Sango followed. She gave Kagome a quick smile over her shoulder before she vanished through the door.

Kagome unrolled the futon and sat down on it, unable to sleep right away. Now that it was quiet in the hut, Inuyasha's breathing was all the more unsettling.

She looked at him, hugging her knees. _'If I hadn't sat him…'_ she thought guiltily. Miroku had argued that Inuyasha might have injured more people, implied that they might even have died. _'What do they matter to me if he dies?'_

She swallowed, feeling terrible at the thought. She told herself that the life of other people wasn't related to Inuyasha's, that she couldn't exchange him for them. She told herself that she had only done what everyone had expected of her – what _had_ to be done. But it didn't make her feel better.

In the end, there was only one person who could. _'Please Inuyasha, get well!'_

-

Sitting against the wall of the hut, Miroku touched his bandaged arm. _'It hurts, all right,'_ he thought, pulling back immediately. But after a few seconds, he poked it again, lighter this time. _'Like that it's okay.'_ He kept an eye on the door – Sango had forbidden him to touch his arm. If he just brushed it, it didn't hurt, though.

Continuing to play with his arm, Miroku's thoughts turned back to Sango. He thought that he had said the right words before, but on the way to their hut an uneasy silence had hung between them. Sango had soon excused herself and left to take a look at the hurt girl. She had told him to rest – and truly, he was tired – but he couldn't just fall asleep now. With light self-pity he wondered why she hadn't at least waited until he was rested and could reason with his usual ability.

He heard steps at the door and, quickly pulling his hand away from his arm, tried to assume an innocent position.

It was Sango who entered the room. She slid the doormat shut behind her and went to sit down next to him.

Miroku tried to guess her mood from her thoughtful face, but wasn't sure if she was upset about him or about what she had seen outside. "How's the little girl?" he asked, also to test the second possibility.

"She's still unconscious," Sango answered quietly. "It's not uncommon, though, especially for a child, to be unconscious for a while. I've witnessed accidents like this one a few times."

Miroku nodded. "Let's pray for the best."

'_She's not wrong,'_ he thought, _'but it's not a good sign. If she doesn't wake up soon...'_ He didn't even want to think about it.

"How is your arm?" Sango asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"It hurts when I move, but that's to be expected."

"I guess so," Sango agreed. "We'll change the bandage in a couple of hours – we can also apply Kagome's medicine then."

After Miroku nodded his approval, silence settled between them again.

When a minute had passed, Miroku wondered if Sango had still doubts about the two of them or if she considered the matter finished. _'She doesn't look happy,'_ he thought, looking at her, _'but that could be because of all the trouble.'_

As if she noticed his eyes, Sango looked away. _'What does that mean?'_ Miroku wondered. Was she angry with him?

Still looking out of the window, Sango said, "I thought about everything on the way back. I think I have to apologise to you, Houshi-sama."

He noticed with some disappointment that she was back to her polite form of address. When she'd called him Miroku before, he hadn't feigned his happiness. "Sango?" he asked carefully.

"I took out some of my trouble on you before – it wasn't fair. It's not your fault."

"Don't worry, it's all right," Miroku said reassuringly.

To his distress, Sango buried her head in her knees and wrapped her arms around them. "Is it?" she asked quietly.

His confusion only growing, Miroku inched closer to Sango and put his good arm on her shoulder. "Sango, please tell me what's troubling you."

After a while, Sango leaned her head back against the wall. "I don't think it's all right," she explained.

Miroku looked at her helplessly. "What do you mean, Sango?"

She swallowed and rested her chin on her knees, staring at the opposite wall. "Kagome is blaming herself for what has happened. But it isn't her fault that none of us tried to stop Isobe before it was too late. It's not your fault, either." Sango's voice had gotten hoarse. "It's mine once more."

'_She's talking about trying to stop Inuyasha from fighting Isobe,'_ Miroku finally realized. He thought about his reply for a second before he answered, "You're too hard on yourself. None of this would have happened if Inuyasha had been more reasonable."

"That doesn't change the fact that Inuyasha must've had good reason to attack Isobe," Sango objected. "I was so set on finding out about my stupid ancestor that I betrayed one of my best friends when he would have needed me the most... What a lousy companion I am."

Miroku got angry. "You think you betrayed _him_?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice even. "I only remember one thing: that _he _attacked _you _when you tried to reason with him – before the whole mess had even started! That's what I call betraying your friends."

Sango shook her head. "Houshi-sama, you didn't see his eyes. They looked as if he had... already given up. Because of my stupid pride, I didn't notice - he must have been scared to death."

"Even so, that's no reason to kick you. Neither is it a reason to use his blood claws in the middle of a village and almost kill a little girl with them."

"You are right," Sango said. "But does Inuyasha's mistake make mine undone? Shouldn't it be our task to be more thoughtfully than him - when he is in a situation where he can't tell right from wrong? If I hadn't incited you all into fighting Inuyasha, we could have avoided our current situation and might even have caught Isobe."

"Do you really think that we could have stopped or reasoned with Inuyasha in his state?"

"Yes, I think so. At least I could have tried," Sango answered. "Inuyasha has always been exceptionally patient with me when I made the wrong decisions. He saved me when I tried to kill him. He saved me when I stole Tetsusaiga. How can I do any less for him? You told me that you would learn from your past mistakes." She clenched her fist, her arms still wrapped around her knees. "I promise the same. I won't put you in danger again, whatever it takes!"

Miroku was surprised by the finality in Sango's voice. _'She looks ready to kill for her resolve,'_ he thought, sad that she had already acquired such an ice-cold expression at her age. It silenced him every time he saw it.

-

_I'm ringed by them. A dozen of people – I swear I know them all. A monk, a girl in a uniform, and a little fox youkai catch my eye. What are they doing here? We are in the middle of nowhere, just a large meadow without even trees._

"_What do you want?" I shout. They do not answer. I try to keep an eye on all of them._

"_Let the show begin," I suddenly hear behind me. _

_I whirl around, seeing a man standing outside the ring of people. I step back – I know him!_

_A ringing sound warns me of the staff swung at me from behind. I try to evade, but they're all attacking at once. Suddenly, I feel a stabbing pain. I glance back and see a sword being pushed through my upper arm while I defend against the staff. It is the girl, and suddenly I'm sure that she has backstabbed me before._

_She rips her sword out. I cry out in pain and step away, holding my arm._

"_Osuwari!"_

_All of a sudden I crash to the ground. The people who attacked me step aside. I look up and see the man again – why did I expect another girl? The voice was too deep._

_My confusion grows when she suddenly steps into view from behind him with an old, battered sword in her hands. Her name – her name just won't come to me! I strain my neck, trying to get a better look, trying to remember the name that's on the tip of my tongue, but something is pulling me down, always down._

_I can't see more than her feet as she approaches me. She reaches me. "What do you –" With a sharp pain, my breath leaves me. I can feel something piercing my chest._

_There's a sudden gust of wind, then everything is silent._

-

Kagome woke up to a bang. _'What was that?'_

She looked to the side and found Inuyasha twitching and groaning under his blanket.

"Inuyasha?" She got up quickly. "Are you all right?"

When she reached him, she could hardly make him out in the twilight. She noticed that the stripes on his face had faded, leaving him in his normal form. She knelt down and touched his shoulder. He was still asleep. She shook him lightly, trying to awaken him from the nightmare he must be having. "Inuyasha!"

He didn't wake up. Kagome tried again, but to no avail. It even seemed to make matters worse. After some time she gave up and tried to calm him down instead. She talked to him, hoping to ease whatever he was going through.

It seemed to help after a while, or perhaps he was just getting exhausted. Kagome wondered what he was dreaming about – was he reliving the events that had nearly led to his death? "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she told him. "It's not what I wanted."

She looked out the window; it was almost dark by now. How long had she slept? She still felt tired, but could she just sleep during a time like this? There were a lot of things that she had to clear up, and she didn't even know where or how to start.

Footsteps at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Adrenaline rushing through her body, she reached for her bow, but refrained from nocking an arrow when she felt that it was only Shippou.

A second later he entered, looking behind him trough the door. "Kagome, what's happened to the collapsed house? I can smell blood."

She put away her bow while he wasn't looking. "We got into a fight," she explained quietly.

Shippou turned his head to her. "A fight? Really?" he asked enviously.

Kagome needed a second before she could answer Shippou's innocent question. "Yes, a difficult fight. Please keep your voice down – Inuyasha's sleeping."

She saw Shippou's face change from excited to surprised, his eyes staring at the hanyou. "Inuyasha – I can smell his blood, too. Is he hurt?"

Kagome felt her throat tightening. Instead of an answer she nodded, and looked away.

Shippou jumped towards them. "I don't like his smell," he said with an almost confused tone after examining Inuyasha. "How is he?"

"He... he..." Kagome stopped, trying to get her voice under control. _'I don't want to worry Shippou,'_ she thought, looking at the kid from the corner of her eye. Judging from his expression, though, it was already too late for that. He was looking at her with an expectant expression, waiting for an answer. "He was hurt with a sword," she finally said. "Miroku and Sango were also hurt, but they'll both get better."

"And Inuyasha?" Shippou asked worriedly.

Kagome nodded furiously. "He'll be fine, too." She couldn't stop herself from crying any longer. "He will!" she said loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He'll be fine!"

Shippou gulped. Kagome laid her head on Inuyasha chest and cried into it. Something in Shippou's chest tightened – the same thing that had tightened when his parents had been killed. He remembered where he knew the smell from. "No..." he mumbled to himself. "No. No!"

"Inuyasha! Wake up!" He reached down to Inuyasha and shook him. "Wake up!" Kagome tried to stop him, but he didn't care. "Wake up already! You can't leave me, too. Wake up, you idiot!"

"Shippou!" Kagome finally hissed and separated him from Inuyasha. "He needs to rest!"

Shippou kept looking at Inuyasha. "Who did this?" he asked, his voice full of hatred. "Tell me who did this!"

"It... It was Isobe," Kagome answered, surprised by the venom in Shippou's voice.

"Hachiro?" Shippou asked. "Hachiro did this?"

The moment Kagome nodded, Shippou stormed out through the door.

"HACHIRO!"

For the next minutes, the screams of an enraged kitsune youkai rang through the village.

They sent shivers down Kagome's spine.

-

_I'm ringed by people. I'm sure that I know them, but their names won't come to me. The scene seems familiar. I think I can trust them, but they won't let me go. Can I?_

"_What do you want?" I shout. They do not answer. I try to keep an eye on all of them._

"_Let the show begin," I suddenly hear behind me. _

_I whirl around, seeing a man standing outside the ring of people. I step back – I know him!_

_I have no time to think - they attack! I stand no chance against their onslaught. Alone the fox doesn't help and keeps standing, staring at our fight._

"_Osuwari!"_

_Suddenly I crash to the ground. The people suddenly vanish. I look up and see the man again – why did I expect another girl? With white and green garb?_

_My confusion grows when she suddenly steps into view from behind him. She walks to a sword that is driven into a small pedestal, looking as if it spent centuries there. She simply pulls it out and approaches me. I'm able to roll on my back, but something is keeping me from standing up, pulling my throat shut._

"_What do you –" I croak, but don't finish my question when the girl drives the sword – my sword? – through my chest._

_Strangely, it doesn't hurt as much as it should. 'You haven't got enough muscle…' I think and smile humorlessly, looking at the girl. Her hair is shielding her eyes. Is she laughing or crying?_

"_HACHIRO!" I hear the fox youkai screaming at the man._

_Is that his name? I can't remember. Does it matter? Right now, I just want to sleep. My chest feels numb._

"_HACHIRO!"_

'_Can't he shut up?'_ _I think, half annoyed that he won't let me sleep, half glad that someone cares._

_There's a sudden gust of wind, then everything is silent._

_I close my eyes to the tranquillity._

-

Sango was awakened by a loud scream. Her right hand immediately reached for Hiraikotsu while her left checked if her sword and other weapons were in place.

"HACHIRO!"

'_Has someone been following Isobe?'_ she wondered. _'Searching for him?'_ Maybe someone else had been backstabbed similarly to them?

"Is that Shippou?" Miroku asked, standing up.

"Shippou?" Sango asked, listening closely. The voice bore little resemblance to the fox youkai she knew. On the other hand, she had never heard him so angry. She couldn't deny a certain likeness. "Let's have a look!"

She left the hut, still clad in her taijiya uniform, and headed for the source of the screams. Her leg hurt, keeping her from sprinting. She saw Miroku following her and, remembering his injury, slowed her steps further.

They had to alter their direction twice - the owner of the voice was obviously searching the village. Villagers were looking out of their huts. A few had already armed themselves.

Finally, they caught sight of a little fox youkai jumping from one rooftop to another. "Shippou!" Sango shouted. "Calm down!"

Shippou looked down. For a moment, his angry face reminded Sango that they had a youkai travelling with them, before he started to look around again.

"Shippou!" she shouted. "Get a grip!" If he didn't stop soon, she could imagine the villagers chasing him away.

"Get lost!" he screamed back. "What do you know?"

Before Sango could say something else, she heard a shout.

"Help! Quick! Help!"

It was Kagome. _'What is it now?'_ Sango thought worriedly. She looked between Shippou and the path to Kaede's hut twice, then decided to go to Kagome. "Miroku, look after Shippou!"

Not looking back, she ran to Kagome as fast as she could. _'Was the damn boomerang always that heavy?'_ she thought, wincing every time her leg had to support both her and Hiraikotsu. Still, at least she would be properly armed this time.

The hut of Kaede came into view. Kagome's shouts were coming from inside – was it about Inuyasha? Drawing her sword with her left hand, she pushed through the door.

She took a look around, but there was no one inside but Inuyasha and Kagome. She laid down Hiraikotsu and rushed to Kagome.

She almost lost hold of her sword when she caught sight of Inuyasha. He was staring into space, wide-eyed. A small runlet of blood was flowing down the side of his mouth.

Kagome looked up at her, crying. "What's wrong with him! Help him!"

At first she just stared. _'Get a grip!'_ Sango thought after a few seconds and knelt down to touch Inuyasha's forehead. It was covered with sweat, but seemed a bit colder than normal. She checked if he was breathing. She felt at his throat for his pulse. _'That… can't be!'_

Sango distantly noticed that Kagome said something, but she just stared.

Someone gripped her arms, steadying her. She looked over her shoulder - it was Miroku. She turned back forward, not wanting to see his composed face, or let him see her crying again. She felt completely hollow. She had known that it might turn out that way, but that was entirely different from understanding it.

Kagome was pleading with Miroku now. Sango didn't envy him for what he would have to tell her. She didn't think that even she could stand to hear his words.

"Kagome-sama, I'm deeply sorry. May his…" Miroku's voice broke at this point. He coughed. "I pray that his soul may find peace in the next life."

* * *

**Author rantings:**

And cut! Not a really long chapter once more, but I don't think it's short, either. I hope to have the next chapter out soon since it is already half-way finished. I know that I've said something like this before and it still took too long. I've a mean test in two weeks, too, and learning will take away some time. I'll try to be update in a month for once, though.

I'm aware that this isn't really the first time that Sango calls Miroku by his name in my story. Actually, I've only recently noticed (okay, someone had to tell me) that Sango _always _calls him "Houshi-sama," so one thing I'm changing during revising the old chapters is every instance of "Miroku" out of Sango's mouth. It's a stupid fault of mine, but one I'm about to correct, so please just pretend she's never carelessly said "Miroku" to him before.

If you need something to read until I post again, I can recommend "Reflected Past" by _InuOtaku_ - an Action/Adventure with a complex plot and, in my opinion, a good characterization, too. It's centered on Sessh and Rin (and for the first chapters on Midoriko) - depends on whether this is your thing or not. If you can deal with Sessh (or even like him), it rewards you with a very long and completed story. There's also a sequel that's even longer, but I haven't tried it yet.

**Reviews revisited:**

_MarcellaRyoko_ – You can't call the last chapter perfect (when can you, ever?), but I agree that it turned out pretty well. So far, I'm quite satisfied with it. I'll reveal more and more about the background as the story progresses, but I intend to be as secretive as possible. ;)

_Holly_ – I'm glad you're still _reading _this story. Considering how long I've been writing on this one, the wait between the chapters must be quite annoying. Thanks for staying with me!

_Sharibet_ – Hmm, I don't think I could ever abandon this story for too long. After a while of being lazy, it starts working in my head until I do something. Darn thing:) Anyway, I hope I continue to make some sense with my characters' actions, even if they sometimes stray a bit from what we're used from them. I can't help myself – it's more interesting to write. Finally, thanks for praising my English. Even after twenty chapters it still does good to hear. ;) (I soooo depend on beta-readers...)

_Varethane_ – I hope the wait between my chapters isn't taking too much of the fun away. For me it's a much more continuos experience than it must be for the readers... I hope I can still keep this story being one of your favorites. Also, thanks for your congratulations. Even if this story didn't get many votes, I'm glad enough I got nominated for the award. There are lots of IY authors nowadays, and so the number of good authors has risen as well.

_Shaid_ – I can say Inuyasha didn't really wake up in this chapter... hohoho Anyway, so far I've at least been able to keep my slow pace stable, so the updates will come. Btw, hope the wedding went well!

_Myeerah_ – I'm glad that you liked the scene between Kagome and her mother. Since she's usually a kind character it was hard to make her angry. Your review makes me hope I did it believable. (I had to invent a lot, writing a mother-daughter talk.) Your observations about no one thinking that Inuyasha could attack for a reason are quite correct, and at least Sango has started to feel guilty about it. Kagome is worrying over Inuyasha and I hope it's believable that she doesn't spent much thought on the background yet. Anyway, it looks like you're a good observer. That trait always make me fear I give away too many hints! This time, though, I hope your review means that the scene turned out like I intended it. :)

_Locainlove_ – I've just realised that I've forgotten to try the story you recommended. If you like detailed and mysterious stories, it just might be for me. About Hachiro's comment, it's not impossible that you figured something out, although I phrased it in a way that can be interpreted in multiple ways, to keep it mysterious. But maybe you tried harder than me. I've been thinking about this sentence since I started this story, though. ;) Anyway, I'm glad that I could keep you interested with my story and that you enjoy the things which I enjoy adding.

_Scherezade7_ – Thanks a lot for your review. It was one of the few that makes me believe that I was able to relay all or at least most of the characters' standpoints. You're true about Inuyasha – his trust is easier lost than earned – and also about the fact that the group wasn't joining forces at all. Sango's actually started blaming herself for it. I hope her actions are realistic so far – in my opinion, she's the one who would think the most about this.

_AmunRa_ – Just look out that you don't get into trouble at work because of me! Some companies – at least here – are terribly paranoid about their workers and even check their log files and such. Nonetheless, I'm partially glad that this story is worth taking a risk. ;) You're right that Kagome's time isn't the save haven to Inuyasha that it once was. Not lost beyond repair, though. Yet? evil smile ;)

_Omnitoad_ – I'm glad that you think that the plot is moving along acceptably. I sometimes fear I'm sacrificing a bit for the sake of suspense... I think that I'll be able to continue throwing questions at my readers, although I'm not sure if I can keep up the current pace.

_Ryguy5387_ – Thank you for your impressions of my story. To be truthful, I spent some thought on your review since it was one of the few that clearly took Inuyasha's side, especially in the current conflict. Most others didn't chose either side or were even relatively unsympathetic for Inuyasha.  
I've actually tried to create a situation where everyone carries a part of the guilt, or maybe better: responsibility (for instance, can you fault Inuyasha for always trying to handle things himself?). About trust in the group, Inuyasha isn't the most trusting person himself and has sometimes gone through a lot of trouble to avoid telling secrets of his, in both the manga and my story. Also, attacking without explanation and even hurting friends isn't something that people just brush off, especially without any kind of explanation. So much about Inuyasha's part – I don't think I have to talk much about the other side. Sango, Miroku and Kagome clearly didn't see past the exterior image of a furiously attacking Inuyasha.  
After reading your review, I'm not quite sure if I have failed to convey Inuyasha's part or if it's your personal values that rank Inuyasha's faults as smaller than those of his friends. I partially think that you've also noticed that Inuyasha is sometimes judged by different standards in the manga and that you don't always agree with that. Anyway, I'd like to hear from you about this, so that I can understand your viewpoint better or maybe even find something that I have to watch out for in the future. Thanks for your time:)

_Crazyishx_ – Another sad reminder of how long I've been writing this story. You've proceeded from the 7th grade to the 9th and I'm still nowhere near ending this. I hope that the waits aren't too long...

_Dark-Wolf-SoulX_ – I'm glad you liked the chapter, even if it was not what you expected. I think this chapter has a bit more action, although maybe not too much.

_Daniel Gudman_ – Well, I thought that the situation between Kagome and her mother needed some kind of clarification, hence the somewhat girly scene. I guess it was my imagination of a mother-daughter talk – since I've never had one of those, it might not be terribly accurate. ;) The main "problem" is that Kagome's mom is usually a (too) nice person.  
About Inuyasha's possible connection to the werewolf, I'll try to shroud myself in mysteries as long as possible. I'm pretty sure that Sango won't completely give up the idea anytime soon, though. (I hope I managed to politically not say anything by that.)

_Mikage-aya_ – So I guess I was right about Enki's voice? It was 'Inuyasha'. For some reason, Juuni Kokki doesn't seem to be terribly popular (this site reports a total of 45 stories), so I hope that at least a few people tried it out. I fear my recommendation was too late for you. :) Anyway, back on topic, I'm glad that the Kagome-and-mom scene was okay for you. Inuyasha hasn't recovered, though...

_Cyan I'd_ – I'm glad that you liked the scene between Kagome and her mom. I wasn't too sure what I was writing about. ;) I guess I can't talk too freely about Inuyasha without giving away anything important, especially as the scene isn't terribly inventive. I always fear to give secrets away – maybe I'm too cautious?

_ChevalierMalFet_ – I also have a weak spot for darker stories – most of my favorite stories don't lack in that regard. I also think that the constant joking in the original sometimes takes the seriousness away - especially in the anime I was sometimes annoyed by that. Not only in that field the manga is much better, in my opinon. Anyway, I'm glad that you like my story and hope that you will continue to enjoy it. :)

_Althea Astera Renata_ – The IYFG award is an award given away by the fandom. As far as I know it is the biggest award for Inuyasha stories - a lot of people and also authors participate in the nomination and voting process. It is managed via a Yahoo group called IYFanGuild. Anyway, I'm glad that you enjoyed Gossamer Dreams. It sadly doesn't get much attention.

_Inu-fan783_ – Thanks for your tip, but I'm keeping to my name for Inuyasha's mother for two reasons: first, the movie didn't exist when I started writing this story, and second, the movies are only arguably part of the storyline, so I don't feel bound to it. I'm one of those manga purists ;)

_TamokoSanjii_ – Wow, you're the first person to commend me for answering my reviewers. :) I sometimes wonder if I'm not overdoing it, but I like it. When I spend two months on a chapter, I think it is okay to spend an afternoon on the reviews. Nice to hear that someone appreciates it. Anyway, I'm glad that you did find this story again in the end. Quantity-wise, I don't really excel, so I hope I can make up a bit with the quality of my writing. Beauty lies in the eye of the viewer, though. ;)


	25. Chapter 24: Lost between Horizons Part 2

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**April 22nd, 2005:** Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer: **  
Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _...And Oceans_.

**Special thanks to:  
**_Xue_ for helping me out with the beta-reading. Thanks a lot!

* * *

**Chapter 24**

_All images drowned in eyes  
Into light under melting skies_

_**Lost between Horizons – Part 2: Voyage**_

For a moment, everyone was silent. Miroku's words reverberated in his own head. _'I pray that his soul may find peace in the next life.'_

'_Damn, I can't believe it!'_ Miroku thought, clenching his jaw. _'I was sure that he'd be up and about in a couple of days.'_ He remembered the times when Inuyasha had been injured - he'd never let anything keep him down for long. His arm had been broken in their fights against the peach man and also when Kouga had wrongfully assumed that the hanyou had killed the members of his clan. Inuyasha hadn't even bothered to splint it. He had been impaled by Sesshoumaru and still fought the wolf youkai Ryokan before being properly healed. They'd tried to stop him - tied him down and sealed him in a hut - not that it had worked.

Miroku shook his head. Kagome had started to cry. He tried to think of something comforting to say, but the professionalism he had acquired in these situations had left him. Kagome would have to deal with this herself, as they all would have to. He felt bad for knowing only anger for Inuyasha these last hours. "I haven't wished you death," he mumbled almost apologetically.

Sango was now also crying, though quietly, unlike Kagome, who was repeating Inuyasha's name over and over. He squeezed Sango's shoulders lightly, not able to give her much more comfort than that.

One of the few people he called his friends was dead. Maybe the one he had known best.

o o o o o

_I'm lying on the ground; grass is tickling my ears. All my pain has subsided and I've lost track of time long ago. The sword in my chest has disappeared, and so has the wound it caused. Am I sleeping?_

_I become aware of something bright ahead of me, shining lightly through my eyelids. I lazily open my eyes. It's not too bright, but looks warm and comfortable. I stare at the light, I don't know for how long, simply admiring it. Finally, I stand up to go there, to the most perfect thing._

_Suddenly, people appear in my path._

"_Let me pass," I tell them when they don't get out of the way. "Can't you see I want to go there?" I point at the light. I wonder why they look sad. Do I know them?_

_A black silhouette suddenly approaches us, hard to make out against the light. Before any of us can react, he attacks the people blocking me and cuts down all of them. After seconds they lie unmoving on the ground, but even their blood can't defile the peace of this place._

_I'm not sure if I should be sad or not. After looking at the light again, I thank him for helping me out. I'm not even sure if I knew them, anyway._

_I continue on my way, but the stranger jumps at me when I want to pass him and pulls me to the ground with a growl. He sits up, pinning me beneath him, and I finally get a look at his face. I start to struggle when I notice that he looks like me – with red eyes and stripes on the cheeks. _

_I try to break free, but he's much stronger than me. He grips my head and digs his claws through my skull._

_The world goes white with pain._

o o o o o

"Inuyasha!" His head was cradled in her lap, weighing a ton. "Inuyasha!" Her blouse was too tight, she didn't get enough air. "Inuyasha!" The room was too small. "Inuyasha!" She felt like fleeing, but there was no escape, no place to run.

Kagome continued to repeat Inuyasha's name. A cacophony of memories and thoughts was running rampant in her mind, none present long enough to really register.

She had never felt so disconnected. She had never felt so alone.

Someone shook her by the shoulders. "Kagome!"

Sango.

"Kagome, be quiet!"

She looked at Sango. How could she utter that command in such a positive tone!

"Kagome, he's moving!"

Kagome felt like slapping her for laughing until the meaning of her words registered. She jerked her head down and looked, wishing to see what Sango saw.

Inuyasha slowly opened his mouth, his face contorted into a grimace. "Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, torn between sympathy for his pain and joy for him being _alive_.

He started to growl, almost like a low whine, while his whole body stiffened. Hiccups began to interrupt the sound sporadically, their frequency increasing. Kagome tried to calm him down when Sango suddenly gripped Inuyasha's head and turned it to the side, away from her.

Kagome looked confusedly at her friend.

"So he doesn't choke," Sango commented.

Seconds later, Inuyasha vomited on the floor. For a long moment, Kagome stared, indifferently taking in the sight. Then she noticed that Inuyasha had gone limp again and quickly looked down. He still wore that pained expression, although he'd stopped growling.

Someone clapped her on the back. She looked up and saw Sango smiling at her.

"That's a good sign," Sango said with a smile.

"Really?" Kagome asked hopefully.

Sango nodded. "Good sign. You'll have to wash you skirt, though!"

Kagome laughed after seeing that a bit had hit the edge of her skirt. "I'll have to wash it!"

For the next minute, relief spread in the hut. Kagome chattered happily with Sango while Miroku cleaned the floor, trying hard to look dignified.

After a while, things finally quieted down until it was completely silent in the hut, a sharp contrast to the situation just a minute ago. Kagome enjoyed it, still feeling like Inuyasha had come back from the dead.

"He seems better, but does he look more like a youkai to you, too?" Miroku finally asked.

Kagome looked again and found that she had to agree. She wasn't sure if it was because Inuyasha's face was finally sporting any expression at all, but he looked much more like a youkai than an hour ago.

"Was he holding back before?" Miroku wondered. "Look how long his claws have become."

"His fangs, too," Sango added.

Kagome refused to acknowledge what they were getting at. _'Right now it's a good thing, isn't it? It's healing him!'_

"What's going on?" Shippou asked in a subdued voice from behind.

Kagome turned around, seeing Shippou standing in the entrance. He looked like he was waiting for the inevitable. _'Should I tell him how close Inuyasha was to death?'_

"You gave him up too soon, Shippou," Sango answered in her stead. "His youkai blood saved him."

"Is it true?" Shippou asked hopefully.

Kagome smiled. "See for yourself!"

o o o o o

Miroku lay in Kaede's hut, in the room adjacent to the one that Inuyasha occupied. He'd tried for some time to fall asleep, but despite being tired, it just didn't seem to be working. He blamed his arm, which hurt every time he moved just a bit. Sango had said that it looked good when they had changed the bandages and applied Kagome's medicine, but as if to contradict her statement, it hadn't stopped hurting one bit. On the contrary, he thought that it had gotten slightly worse, but maybe that was just his imagination.

He exhaled and turned his head to the side. He looked at Sango, who lay next to him, and found her awake as well. Although night had fallen hours ago and it was mostly dark in the room, he could see her open eyes staring at the ceiling of the room.

"Maybe it's better that Shippou is with her," Miroku said quietly after a while, growing bored of waiting for sleep. "I don't think either should be left alone." After staying a while to make sure that Inuyasha was all right, they had gotten the bedrolls from their hut and settled here in Kaede's hut instead. They had tried to take Shippou with them but the fox had absolutely refused to follow. They'd wrung a promise to stay quiet out of him, at least.

Sango answered only after a while. "I hope that Inuyasha gets well soon. Also for Kagome's sake," she said, her gaze staying fixed at the ceiling.

Miroku nodded. Although happiness for Inuyasha had helped momentarily, Kagome wasn't dealing with the see-sawing of his condition easily. Now that the hanyou had resumed lying motionlessly, the uncertain waiting had started once more. Kagome had fallen back to quietly watching over Inuyasha, seeming much less energetic than usual. _'But the same could be said about us, couldn't it?'_

Silence settled between him and Sango again. Miroku watched the shine of fire that fell into the room from outside dance on the wall behind her. They'd have to keep the hut lit up - after the last incident they had agreed to take turns watching Inuyasha for the whole night.

Miroku could still slap himself for not thinking of it sooner. They'd all been so sure that it was just another injury that Inuyasha would handle easily. _'I guess this shows my inexperience - I almost slept through the death of one of my best friends.'_

He shook his head. Maybe they'd seen him rise after dire injuries too often? It wasn't only their fault – Inuyasha did his part to foster the image of the tough hanyou.

Sango exhaled sharply beside him. Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Were the same thoughts running through her mind? He couldn't make out her face well in the darkness, so he could only guess, but with her knowledge about both youkai and injuries, she might blame herself at least as much as him. He reached out carefully and took her hand with his good one, giving it a light squeeze.

He smiled when Sango squeezed back.

"I guess we were lucky this time," he said quietly.

"It's not over," Sango said after a while.

"Believe me, I know," Miroku assured her.

"I think we all know now," Sango agreed. She was silent for a minute before she whispered, "I'm scared that he still might not make it."

Miroku didn't answer immediately. He was sure that she was connecting the event with the death of her family. He hoped that it wouldn't open old wounds that had finally started to heal. After such a tragic event, most people would need some time to adjust – but Sango hadn't gotten even that because of Naraku's constant jabs. The bastard had lured her into fighting Inuyasha immediately thereafter and later used Kohaku in every imaginable way, blackmailing her into stealing Tetsusaiga or bringing her to almost kill her own brother.

Despite all that, she had quickly made friends with them. Or maybe it was _because_ of the tragedies that she had quickly become integrated into their group – her only constant in her suddenly upside down life. Either way, now they – and therefore Inuyasha – meant something to her. Combined with the loss of her family, he could understand that this was something she took to heart.

"We'll know for sure soon," he finally answered.

"Either he heals or..." Sango mumbled.

"I'm placing my hopes on Inuyasha's youkai blood," Miroku tried to cheer her up. "In its own way, it's acting in Inuyasha's interest."

"At the very least, it tries to keep him alive," Sango said. "That in itself is not without its dangers – we're keeping a potential berserker in the middle of a populated village."

"You're right," Miroku agreed. "We should keep Tetsusaiga at hand."

Sango hummed, agreeing in a low tone. "I'm going to Kagome," she said, letting go of his hand, and stood up.

Miroku didn't follow immediately and watched her limp out of the room. _'Did I say something wrong?'_ he wondered. _'Well, I guess nothing I can say would significantly better the situation.'_ Sounding cheerful when he was worried himself wasn't easy, especially not when Sango was also supposed to buy it. His own feelings for the situation didn't make it easier, either.

He found himself in a difficult position – on one hand, he was still angry about Inuyasha's behavior. At the same time, despite anything Inuyasha had and might have done, Miroku still hoped that the hanyou would get better soon.

But Sango – although still walking with a limp – seemed to have completely abandoned her anger for Inuyasha. Even before his narrow escape from death, she had taken a disproportionate amount of responsibility on her shoulders. _'Now, worry overshadows everything.'_ Miroku wondered how he should react – should he stay true to himself or just let it be for Sango's sake? Maybe it was best to wait until Inuyasha was better?

A loudly asked "Inuyasha?" stopped his train of thought. Worried, he got up and went to join his friends as quickly as his arm allowed. "What's going on?" he asked when he emerged through the door.

Kagome kept staring worriedly at Inuyasha, but Sango turned her head and gave him a serious look. "He's transformed back."

'_To a hanyou?'_ Miroku thought and stepped closer for a better look. _'Really – the claws are gone and the stripes as well.'_

"What does that mean?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know," Sango answered. "He hasn't stopped breathing or anything, though. Maybe it's normal?"

"He still doesn't smell... good," Shippou said, stepping beside them.

Kagome gave him a worried look. "What do you mean?"

"Of course he doesn't smell good," Miroku interjected, also to calm down Kagome. "Nobody would in his situation."

Shippou shrugged and sat down.

Still suspicious because of Shippou's statement, they watched Inuyasha for a while longer, but there was no real change in his condition. It seemed, so far, to be unchanging.

o o o o o

_I'm coming to myself. Everything is spinning, so I'm keeping my eyes closed. It feels like it's getting better, though – the feeling of nausea is slowly disappearing. 'What happened?' I wonder. I can remember parts of a fight, of people holding me back, of a light. It all doesn't fit together._

_When I finally feel prepared to face the world once more, I open my eyes and sit up._

_And stare at myself._

"_You finally awake?" he asks, annoyed, sizing me up with a bored look. He looks exactly like me to the last detail, from the claws on his fingers to the prayer beads around his neck. He wears my fire rat fur, has my eyes. Even his voice sounds the same as mine. Something seems off, though, but I can't put my finger on it._

_When he makes no move, I quickly check the setting. I'm sitting on the side of a road and am surrounded by a seemingly unending field of grass. The sun is shining behind a few small clouds in the sky – it looks like a pleasant day. "Who are you?" I ask warily, turning my full attention back to my imposter sitting across the road._

"_Inuyasha," he answers curtly._

_I look at him disbelievingly. "I'm Inuyasha."_

"_Who knows?" he says with a shrug and stands up. "I'm your good half, maybe?"_

_There's a sudden feel of danger and I go into a defensive position, looking at him suspiciously. Now that he's standing, he seems a bit smaller than me. 'Younger than me,' I correct myself._

_He doesn't seem to find my preparations threatening. "Don't even try, pal," he says seriously, not changing his posture. He nods behind him, and I notice that there's yet another person clad in my clothes on the ground. He's lying flat on his stomach, his face turned away from me so I can't get a look at it, but his hair also looks like mine, white and long. "You couldn't even take on him," he says, pointing at the unmoving figure._

_I'm getting annoyed by his smartass attitude. "And just who the hell is _he_? Inuyasha?"_

"_How stupid are you?" he asks in return, looking at me with a look of disbelief or anger, I'm not sure which. Then he suddenly relaxes, looking like he has figured it out. "I think you haven't rested enough, yet," he says more to himself than me._

"_Says who?" I shoot right back._

_Ignoring my comment, he approaches me, crossing the road. "Don't fight with me," he says almost conversationally and nods to his right. "It will only bring you back to the start."_

_Keeping an eye on him, I look in the indicated direction, along the road. It continues, seemingly forever like the grass, until it loses itself in the distance. The weather seems worse there; big clouds are hovering in the sky._

_The imposter is still coming closer to me. "Stop," I order. My balance is a bit off, but I manage to stand up._

"_You're staggering," he states._

"_I'm not!" I disagree, ignoring that my vision's becoming blurry._

o o o o o

'_This should be the last one,'_ Sango thought, throwing another log into the fire. The morning was dawning outside and the light of the fire would be unnecessary soon. It wouldn't be required for its warmth, either – Inuyasha was firmly packed in Kagome's sleeping bag. They'd probably use the fire for breakfast and then let it go out.

Inuyasha gave a short whimper. She stood up and walked over to him, suspicious of the first sound he made since she had taken over from Miroku a few hours ago. She gave him a quick examination. Pulse and temperature seemed all right, just like ten minutes ago. _'He just made a sound,'_ she told herself.

She walked back, already used to avoid straining her hurt leg. She sat down against the wall and covered herself with the blanket again, only her arms sticking out. She allowed herself a short smile – he had made it through the night and from the sound of it, she was pretty sure that his breathing had gotten better. _'If we continue to watch over him, I think he should make it.'_ At first, she had gotten quite a scare when he had changed into his usual hanyou form, but now she was confident that it was because he didn't _need _his youkai side to take care of his injuries any longer. It had also made watching him easier – they hadn't needed to fear that he'd suddenly jump up and run amok in the village. With Kagome feeling guilty about sitting him, it might have cost precious seconds to wake her and convince her that she had to subdue him. It might even have started a vicious circle – if Inuyasha had been hurt by the sit or whatever means they would have used to stop him, he might have had to rely on his youkai side even more.

Compared with these alternatives, it looked like things had finally taken a turn for the better. Inuyasha was alive, as a hanyou, hadn't made trouble in the shifts of either Kagome or Miroku and even his pained expression was relaxing gradually. She guessed her predecessors had had it harder – before going to sleep, Miroku had told her to keep a close watch on him.

Taking in Inuyasha's unmoving figure, she felt sorry for him. He had been wounded, almost fatally, and maybe or even likely while he had been trying to do the right thing. His methods might have been lacking and the situation was still unclear, but she was sure that he didn't deserve to die like _this_.

At least they could finally have some confidence that Inuyasha _would _open his eyes again. She wondered what would happen when he finally did – a lot of things had to be cleared up and she was sure that wouldn't be easy. She thought that Inuyasha would be angry, but she wasn't sure how he would react exactly, since she didn't know his relation to Isobe or even why he had attacked him.

For the first time since the night, she allowed herself to think about her great grandfather again. She had avoided it, feeling guilty because likely none of this would have happened if she hadn't been trying so hard to find out about him. She would have to confront Inuyasha about him sooner or later. If Inuyasha really was involved – in whatever way – she wondered why he hadn't told her what he knew. Whatever the reason, she didn't think that she would like what she would hear.

A person in the doorframe caught her eye.

"Good morning, Sango," Kagome greeted her.

Sango gave her a quick smile. "Good morning, Kagome. Are you getting up or just checking on Inuyasha?" she asked, commenting on the blanket Kagome had wrapped around herself tightly. She couldn't even tell if Kagome was clothed underneath. Since she wasn't wearing socks, probably just nightwear.

Kagome shrugged as if not sure herself and walked to Inuyasha. She looked down at him anxiously. "How is he?"

"I think he's really getting better now," Sango told her friend. "He's been a well-behaved patient, at least during my shift."

Kagome nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on Inuyasha. "Thanks for watching over him," she said after a while. "I would have understood if you had refused."

"What are you talking about, Kagome?"

Kagome turned to her. "His behavior towards you wasn't exactly nice," she said quietly, without a real edge in her voice.

"Was ours any better?" Sango asked in return.

Kagome looked down at Inuyasha, not answering immediately. "I… guess not," she finally sighed. "I wonder what Miroku thinks."

"Miroku? He hopes that Inuyasha wakes up soon so he can beat him unconscious again," Sango said honestly.

When Kagome grimaced sadly, Sango couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend. Kagome was caught between the fronts, even more than her. "Don't worry too much about it," Sango said, hoping to ease Kagome's mind. "I'm sure that Miroku will be glad when Inuyasha's up and about." She remembered Miroku's whisper during Inuyasha's brush with death. She was sure that he hadn't intended anyone to hear it, but those words had been what had finally broken her grip on her feelings. She gulped, swallowing the knot that was forming in her throat.

Kagome suddenly walked towards her. _'What is she thinking?'_ Sango wondered as her friend silently sat down next to her.

Kagome put her arms out of the blanket, similar to Sango, and sat quietly for a while. "I guess Miroku has it a bit easier with being angry at Inuyasha," Kagome finally said.

Sango looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he was the only one who didn't act against Inuyasha during the fight. He has no guilty conscience."

'_A guilty conscience...'_ Sango repeated in her mind. Kagome was bound to feel like that for sitting Inuyasha. _'I guess that is what I would call my own feelings as well.'_ Even if Inuyasha had acted recklessly or even lost all reason, their actions had almost gotten him killed. One could argue in what parts they shared the guilt, but it was certain that Miroku's was much smaller. Unlike her or Kagome, he hadn't tried to stop Inuyasha in any way during his fight with Isobe. Maybe he was just lucky that he had left to get her a weapon and not been present, but the final result was the same.

"You could be right," Sango answered. "Miroku's also pretty angry that Inuyasha kicked me."

"I can understand that," Kagome agreed. "How is your leg?"

"Don't worry," Sango reassured. "Miroku's making such a fuss about it! It's already much better – I've been able to rest during both your shifts."

Kagome couldn't stop herself from smiling a bit. "Miroku's taking your relationship pretty seriously, isn't he?"

"Looks like it," Sango agreed, sounding a bit annoyed. "Not that I'm complaining, but he'd better stop trying to prove it over Inuyasha. It's not like we will just forget what Inuyasha has done, but first and foremost he is still our friend."

Sango suddenly found herself embraced by Kagome. Surprised by the abruptness, she could do little more than hug her friend back. Before she could think of something to say, her friend had already let go of her again. "Thank you," Kagome mumbled, sniffing a bit.

Sango almost told her friend not to worry in an attempt to cheer her up, but decided against it. "You're welcome," she said instead, her tone serious. "How are _you_ feeling? Are you all right?"

Kagome wiped at her eyes and nodded, settling back into a sitting position next to Sango. "Yes."

Sango gave Kagome a small, friendly smile. "If you want to talk about something, I'm there for you."

When Kagome didn't answer, Sango decided to give her friend some time to compose herself. _'She's so affectionate,'_ Sango thought. _'Are all the people in her time like that?'_ In this age, the never-ending war and constant attacks of youkai made people wary out of necessity. Trust and openness were reserved for a small group of persons.

She wondered if she would be more like Kagome if she had grown up in her time. The prospect of attending school sounded nice – even more so in an age where all people could go to school because they didn't have to learn to fight for their lives or work from an early age on. _'Would I wear such short skirts as well?'_ she couldn't help but wonder.

Sango exhaled – there was no answer to such questions. One could as well try to count the stars in the sky. _'I've been sitting here, watching Inuyasha for too long,'_ she scolded herself. _'Too much time for thinking.'_

But, she hadn't just sat here wondering about the number of stars. After her first hour, she had come up with another idea for Inuyasha's behavior, sadly one that she couldn't prove to be true without help. Now that Kagome was awake though, maybe they could fit in another piece of the puzzle together.

She thought about waiting for Miroku to wake up as well, but decided against it after a second. Kagome was the one most likely to know something about it, anyway, and maybe it would distract her a bit from her self-reproaches about Inuyasha's condition. Sango turned her head to look at Kagome and thought that her friend seemed like she had calmed down a bit.

"Kagome, there's something I wanted to talk with you about," Sango began. "But don't let me stop you from going to sleep if you're still tired."

"It's okay. I don't think I could fall asleep, anyway," Kagome said in a neutral tone. She turned her head and looked at Sango. "What is it about?"

Sango nodded in Inuyasha's direction. "I came up with an idea while I was watching over Inuyasha, but it's pretty vague. I thought that you might know more about it."

Kagome's expression became curious. "Come on, don't be so mysterious!"

"You also know that Inuyasha was behaving strangely the last days. Maybe there is a connection," Sango explained. "Did he tell you anything?"

Sango watched her friend's face turn thoughtful. "We talked a bit after I sat him during his headache, but he only told me that he had... well, a headache," Kagome said after a few seconds. "If fear that's nothing new."

"I'd hoped that you knew something," Sango admitted, sounding a bit exasperated. "Actually, it looks like he told me more than you – I took him to task right before he went after you to your time. I had thought about his strange behavior during that day – his headache and his constant pressing forward – and came to the conclusion that it seemed almost like he wasn't running _to_ the village but _away_ from something or someone. When I asked him about it he confirmed my suspicion."

Kagome looked honestly surprised now. _'Looks like her really didn't tell her,'_ Sango thought, throwing a glance at Inuyasha. _'His secrecy isn't making this any easier.'_

"After trying to deny it, he finally told me that he felt like something was following him, but he couldn't track down anything definite," Sango continued, keeping her gaze locked on Inuyasha. "He didn't seem sure himself if his senses weren't fooling him. Said that he maybe just needed more sleep."

"Really?" Kagome said. "He didn't... tell me anything."

"Don't worry, it's not that he didn't want to tell _you_," Sango clarified. Kagome had looked disappointed for a second and she didn't want her friend to think that Inuyasha didn't trust her any longer. "I practically had to wring it out of him," Sango told Kagome with a wink. "Anyway, I thought that Inuyasha's alertness was because of his headache and sleeping problems. But what if it wasn't?"

"You're suggesting that Inuyasha was somehow aware of Isobe?" Kagome asked.

Sango nodded. "It could be possible, couldn't it?"

Kagome pondered for a few seconds. "I don't know. Maybe. How long has Isobe been on our trail? How did he find us, anyway?"

"He heard of us at the mining village a few days after we left," Sango explained. "If he was following us since then, it would fit together – Inuyasha started to behave strangely about that time."

"But how would he have known of him?" Kagome asked. "The guy arrived here a few days after us, so he must have been quite far behind."

"That's why I asked you," Sango admitted. "I'd hoped that Inuyasha told you something... You don't think that he could have noticed him by smell?"

"By smell? That would be like smelling a matchstick burn in the next village," Kagome answered, looking over to Inuyasha. "It's hard to believe, but who knows how good his sense of smell really is?"

Sango sighed. "I guess it was a pretty stupid theory, after all... It's just that the timing fits together so nicely."

Kagome was quiet for a minute. "I'm... rather sure that Inuyasha's problems have to do with something else," she said finally. She continued after another pause, "I promised not to tell anything, but I'm almost sure that his condition is tied to... what he told me."

Sango nodded. "It's got to do with the events around Eiji, hasn't it?" she asked. Noticing Kagome's appalled look, she continued, hoping to ease her friend's worry that she had told too much. "That was my first thought back then, too. I've seen a few people with his kind of problems."

Kagome turned her head to Sango. "Who do you mean?" she asked carefully.

Sango grimaced and slowly turned her head away to look over to Inuyasha. "When you work in villages attacked by youkai, you're bound to meet them," she explained quietly. She shook her head and returned to the original topic. "Guessing from what Eiji was babbling, we're probably talking about Inuyasha's mother being hurt or even killed when Inuyasha was still very young and she was one of the few persons that cared for him. At his age and given Inuyasha's uncommunicative personality, it's something he likely never worked out."

Kagome looked surprised. "Sango, you're very attentive," she finally said.

Sango smirked slightly. "Comes with the work, I guess."

"I didn't make all these connections myself," Kagome admitted.

"I'm not too far from the truth, am I?" Sango asked, her smile fading. When she saw Kagome looking away, she added, "You don't have to tell me anything. Actually, think this is something that Inuyasha has to do himself. I even told him so. Since it seems that he's talked at least a bit, I believe I've made the right decision."

Kagome nodded after a while. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you more. If Inuyasha wants you to know, he'll tell you."

"The details are not so important," Sango said. She grimaced sadly. "I could maybe guess a good part of them."

"I have to guess about the details, too – he didn't tell me much," Kagome said with a sad voice. "Rather, he's been very vague."

"I don't know too much about it, but I think these things take time," Sango advised. "You should take him to your time more often; a change of environment can help."

To her surprise, Kagome choked. "Kagome?" she asked when her friend didn't answer.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kagome said after a while. "We had... problems in my time."

"Really?" Sango asked worriedly. "What kind of problems?"

Kagome stayed silent, looking as if she pondered her answer. Sango wondered what it was about but couldn't remember anything that would have given her a hint. To the contrary, Kagome had looked _better_ when she had returned from her time with the medicine. That could have any number of reasons, though. _'Inuyasha, what's going on?'_ she silently asked the hanyou, looking at him.

"It's not in relation to the events here," Kagome finally answered. Sango turned back to her friend, already sure that she wouldn't hear this story, either. "We had a misunderstanding at home," Kagome continued, "and we're about to clear it up. I don't think Inuyasha's really itching to return there, though."

"So it's not cleared up yet?"

"No, it's not," Kagome confirmed. "We initially only came to the past to check on you and return immediately – nobody thought that something like this would happen."

"Will it give Inuyasha another reason to be angry when he wakes up?" Sango asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No, it won't."

"And the other way round?" Sango wanted to know. "Are you angry with him?"

Kagome turned her head at her, an odd look on her face. "Are you angry with Kohaku?" she asked in return.

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, taken aback by the sudden turn.

"He's done things that weren't right," Kagome said. "But it's not really his fault, is it?"

In the following silence, Kagome stood up and left for the sleeping room, leaving Sango to ponder the severity of this 'misunderstanding'. Under the current circumstances, it seemed like it wasn't as harmless as she had hoped. She kept staring at Inuyasha, wondering what had happened for Kagome to make a comparison like that.

o o o o o

_I'm slowly waking up, feeling rested. After a while I open my eyes and sit up, looking around. I'm still at the edge of the road, surrounded by grass. I tense when I see this imposter again. 'Did I pass out? Did he as well?' He's lying on his back on the other side of the road. I look for the other figure that was clad in my clothes, but it is gone. 'Was the brat knocked out by him?' I wonder, but I can't make out anything that would give me a hint._

_I stand up cautiously. And not unnecessarily – my imposter suddenly sits up. I shift into a fighting stance again, not trusting him._

_The imposter in turn stretches, his eyes closed. I look at him suspiciously while he yawns heartily._

"_I don't get enough sleep nowadays," he complains finally and opens his eyes to stare at me. "And, feeling better now?"_

"_I was – until you woke up."_

"_I'm glad to hear that,"__ he says politely and stands up, dusting off his clothes. _"_So, you're finally ready?"_

_I look at him quietly for a second, narrowing my eyes. "What for?" I ask suspiciously._

"_To continue on your path," he answers. "We can't carry you all the way, you know?"_

"_We? Are you talking about the other lookalike?"_

_He nods. "I wouldn't exactly call him that, but yes."_

"_Don't tell me he's 'Inuyasha', too," I sneer._

"_If he has another name, he has never given it. You should know our youkai friend well enough – he's not very talkative!" He grins coldly at his statement._

"_That was him... me?" I ask unbelievingly._

"_No one else could get you from there," he explains and nods to his side._

_It's the same direction he pointed out last time. The weather still looks as bad as it did the last time. "Not even you?" I ask, hoping to get a rise out of him, and turn back to face him._

_He shakes his head. "Who'd want to leave? The light keeps you captive, doesn't it?" he asks instead, staring at me intently. I stare back, taken by surprise. A moment of quiet understanding passes between us. I have to agree with him – the memory is faint, but..._

"_However, I had to knock him out here," he continues, snapping me out of it. "I couldn't let him carry you further."_

_I look into the other direction for the first time and see that the road forks into two after a few dozen of footsteps. "I don't think you'd like where he would have taken you," he adds._

_I look at him confusedly. "Where he would have taken me? Where the hell _are_ we?"_

_He shrugs. "Who knows? You should be glad that you can leave and go back to wherever you came from." His face turns cold. "I don't like you here."_

"_The feeling's mutual," I respond truthfully, already looking towards the fork again. Both roads continue seemingly forever as well. I wonder which one I should take and come to the conclusion that he's the only person I can ask. "Which way?"_

"_The one to the right," he answers, pointing his finger at the said path._

_I strain my eyes, trying to make out something along the recommended way, but there's nothing special catching my eye. "Where does it lead?"_

_He shrugs. "Who knows?"_

_I stare at him unbelievingly. "You don't know? For being such a know-it-all bastard, you don't know a lot."_

"_I don't know where it leads, but the other path is no good," he answers with conviction. "Stay away from it."_

_I think about his answer. Although I can't stand him, there's not much else to go by. I don't know anything about this place and it seems like he wants to help me. His attitude is damn annoying, though. I'm tempted to try the left path just because he doesn't want me to. "Why, it doesn't look so bad," I say with fake friendliness._

"_I won't stop you," he answers with a disinterested look. "You're free to do whatever you like."_

_Damn brat. Doesn't anything I say faze him? Whenever _he_ opens his mouth, I just want to shut him up! He seems to guess my thoughts because he spares me another of his annoying smirks._

_That does it. I start toward him, throwing a punch at him. "Stop grinning, you bastard!"_

_He dodges my fist, sidestepping at the last moment, and closes in, rising his knee to drive it in my gut. All I can do is soften the blow a bit with my other hand. I manage to hit his cheek with my elbow as I stumble back, but I only graze him._

_I regard him warily, but he doesn't attack me and remains standing. 'He's damn fast,' I think and, holding my stomach, try to get air._

_He rolls his head, cracking the bones in his neck. "You lose your calm easily," he comments, staring at me unfazed._

_Now he's lecturing me again! Is there no way to shut him up? I grip at my hip, but there's no sword there. "You damn brat, piss off!" I grind out, still short on breath._

"_On the contrary, it's time for _you_ to leave. This place is not of interest to you." He continues to stare at me. "I told you which path to take – you have no reason to stay here any longer."_

"_Fine!" Thinking of it, there's really no reason why I have to waste my time here. I turn around and start towards the left path. "Who'd want to stay here with _you_, anyway?"_

"_Watch out better from now on!" he calls after me. "I don't know if I can restrain him another time!"_

_Without turning around or stopping, I respond with the rudest gesture that comes to my mind._

"_And stay away from Haranobu!" he shouts when I reach the fork. "Against him, strength is not enough."_

_Alerted by that name, I look back quickly, but the brat is gone. I look around for him, but he's nowhere to be seen. I suddenly think that this place looks creepy. I can't put my finger on it, but the hairs in my neck are standing on end._

_I turn around and quickly leave on the path the brat recommended._

o o o o o

Kagome sat outside the hut, her eyes closed against the bright afternoon sun. On another day she would have enjoyed the nice weather, but she was only trying to have a minute for herself. Her friends' mood inside was getting better along with Inuyasha's condition. But, although she was infinitely glad for this, it failed to raise her spirits after her discussion with Sango. She tried her best to act cheerful, but she felt like her fake smile would soon abandon her.

She'd apologized to Sango for her misplaced comment before, but it hadn't relieved her of her guilty feelings. Her friend had just nodded and told her that they were all tired and highly stressed. That was certainly true, but not the reason for Kagome's predicament.

The reason was that she and her loyalty were torn more and more between Inuyasha and her friends. It had started simply – a little story here, a small secret there – with insignificant things that he told only her. That she had been able to manage – not that it would have been often. What she couldn't deal with was keeping important things from her friends and outright lying.

And that was exactly what she'd been doing when Sango had explained her theory. And even worse was that she had lied that Inuyasha hadn't told her about anything beside his headache, only to find out that Sango already knew about it, anyway. _'Why didn't Inuyasha tell me of their talk? If I had known that Sango found out about his feelings of persecution, I wouldn't have tried to hide them. I felt like an idiot when I had to play surprised when Sango told me about it.'_

What's more was that she wasn't even sure if she was doing the right thing. Sango obviously found it important to get to know more about Isobe, and rightfully so. _'And here I am, keeping silent and even misleading my friends.'_ She wasn't even sure if it was in _Inuyasha's_ best interest to keep silent – what if they were attacked again, unprepared because she had kept the crucial hint to herself?

What also made it hard was that she wanted to talk about her brother with someone. His condition weighed heavily on her mind and she needed at friend to confide in. Instead, she had been so caught up in denying and lying to Sango that she had compared Inuyasha's situation with Kohaku's – a comparison that she regretted by now. She gulped, feeling horrible. _'Should I tell her why I said that – will she understand? What would she think of Inuyasha if she knew that he hurt my brother?'_ She didn't even know what she thought herself! How was she supposed to deal with this completely on her own?

She sighed. No matter how bad she felt about keeping silent, she was sure that Inuyasha would hate her spilling his secrets, especially while he was unconscious. She wasn't sure how Inuyasha would react when she woke up, but chances were good that he would be angry and she should try not to agitate him any further. With a gulp she remembered how she had sat him during his headache and how he had backed away from her. For only a second, he had looked at her threatened, guarded. Would she see that expression again?

She opened her eyes slightly, averting her gaze from the sun. _'I'll try my best. Maybe I can at least make it easier for him this time.'_ If she acted with compassion and sensitivity, she hoped that Inuyasha would stay calm.

She had to admit that the conclusion of all her thinking was the same as the times before – as long as it was possible, she would continue to cover up for Inuyasha. Even if it was stupid, what else could she do? _Was_ there anything else she could do?

'_I don't know...'_ They'd saved him, in the end, tended to his wounds and kept watch over him the whole night. Even Miroku had immediately offered to take a shift. Was there anything else humanly possible?

She noticed someone approaching her. With a start she realized that it was the father of the hurt girl. _'What does he want? What should I tell him?'_ She still owed him an apology, since it was impossible that he'd heard her the last time. She nervously watched him coming nearer. He was of impressive stature – she hoped that he wouldn't get angry.

"Good afternoon, Kagome-sama," he greeted her and bowed. "May I have a minute of your time?"

Kagome stood up, unnerved at his very formal tone, and returned the bow. "Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I want to thank you and your companions for saving my daughter. I'm sure that she and others would be dead without you," he said, his voice becoming a bit hoarse. He bowed again. "Thank you very much."

Kagome stared, at a loss for words. He was _thanking _her? She'd expected anything from a demanded explanation to insults, but not this. "Please... there's no need to thank us," she said finally, feeling awkward that the man was still bowing. "I'm sorry that we couldn't keep your daughter from getting hurt."

The man straightened. "Please, don't talk like this! My wife and I would like to invite you to a meal, to celebrate that our daughter is still alive. We would be honored if you accept!"

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. "How is your daughter?" she asked evasively.

"She woke up about an hour ago!" he told her in an excited voice. "Kaede-sama insists that she stay in bed for the next three days, but she's already complaining that she wants to play with her friends." The man smiled happily.

Kagome was silent for a second, overwhelmed by the situation. Then, she realized that the girl was better, and couldn't help but smile as well. "That's great to hear! We were all worried for her."

The man's smile widened and he bowed again. "Please accept our invitation!"

Kagome didn't feel like she should accept – it was _because _of them that the little girl had been hurt. "I fear that Inuyasha is still injured..." But when she saw the man look up disappointedly and prepare to try persuading her again, she added, feeling cornered, "But when he's better, we'll be happy to accept."

This seemed to satisfy him. "Excuse me for not thinking of your friend," he said quite happily. "Of course we want him to be present as well. Please tell us when he is better!"

After thanking her once more, he left for his home. Kagome watched him start a talk with another villager on the way, no doubt telling him about the recovery of his daughter. _'It must be nice to have a father like him,'_ Kagome thought with mixed feelings. _'Lucky girl...'_

She turned around and went back inside the hut. Miroku and Sango were sitting next to Inuyasha, looking at her curiously. Kirara was also with them – she had been watching over Inuyasha ever since she returned. Kagome noticed that Shippou still wasn't back – he'd left early in the morning, even before Kirara returned, and hadn't shown up since. _'You'd think he would be back by now...'_

"The father of the hurt girl just talked to me," she began, pushing her thoughts away.

"What did he say?" Sango asked. "We overheard, but could understand only bits."

Kagome smiled. "His daughter has woken up, just an hour ago. It looks like she made it!"

"That's very good news!" Sango said. "I was really starting to worry."

"He was so happy..." Kagome told them. "He insisted on inviting us to a meal. He thinks that we _saved _his daughter..."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "That's a generous way of looking at it."

"I wanted to tell him the truth, but he was so happy that I didn't want to disappoint him. I put him off by saying that we have to wait for Inuyasha to recover."

"I think it would be shameful to accept without explaining the situation," Sango said. "After all, her injury was a direct consequence of Inuyasha's blood claws."

Miroku looked thoughtful. "It might be wise to accept. Refusing their invitation would just insult them and telling the truth might stir up the village against us."

Kagome sat down opposite her friends, Inuyasha between them. "Do you think so?" she asked worriedly.

Sango elbowed Miroku in the ribs lightly. "Stop trying to trick Kagome! You just want to fill your stomach."

Miroku sighed theatrically. "That's what I get for trying to be thoughtful..."

"Miroku!" Kagome said accusingly, but couldn't stop a grin from spreading on her face.

Sango grimaced and turned to Kagome. "I can't imagine that they would run us out or anything. This time didn't go well, but without us, especially without Inuyasha and you, the village would have faced a number of nasty surprises in the past."

"So, all the more reason to accept the invitation, isn't it?" Miroku interjected.

Sango didn't turn away from Kagome, giving her a conspiratorial look. "See, I told you. Just greedy for food."

Miroku sighed again, deeper this time. "Really, I see no reason to tell them that Inuyasha took things too far when he fought Isobe. It would just unnecessarily worry these people. Even if they don't hold it against us, it will plant a seed of doubt that could easily grow to something worse."

Kagome stopped smiling. "You're serious."

Miroku nodded. "Inuyasha's heritage puts him in a difficult position with humans. I don't think we should unnecessarily call his trustworthiness to question." He winked at Kagome, suddenly smirking. "Besides, even if he maybe hasn't earned it, Inuyasha will need good food to get back on his feet."

Kagome's smile came back. Even Miroku seemed to have come to terms with Inuyasha. The little girl had woken up and the villagers still trusted them. Inuyasha was on the mend and everything had turned out for the better. It finally looked like they had made it over the worst.

'_Maybe Miroku is right,'_ she thought. _'Why call for unnecessary trouble when we don't even know what reasons Inuyasha had for attacking Isobe?'_ Although she found herself in yet another position where she had to keep the truth to herself, she felt like it was for the better in this case. She nodded, still smiling.

Miroku grinned back. "That's the spirit."

Sango still didn't look convinced. "For a monk, you like to bend the truth a lot."

* * *

**Author rantings:**

Sorry for another two-months wait. My only excuse is that the chapter is quite long for a change; the last few were considerably shorter. I hope all the italic text wasn't too straining for the eyes – I'm divided whether it is justified to point out the first person parts at the price of a continuously italic font.

I also remain a bit unsure whether the outcome of Inuyasha death scene at the end of the last chapters was too foreseeable. Although I tried to make it as believable as I could, I was sure that it was rather obvious that Inuyasha wouldn't die, and alas, there were reviews that told me just that. On the other hand, many people bought it and I think I shocked them more than I wanted to. And I even gave a hint with the "Part 1" ... Maybe it wasn't as obvious as I thought? Anyway, I hope the way I'm handling it makes a bit sense – it isn't intended as a cheap way out of the affair.

Finally, a few days ago a nicer reader nominated _Settle the Score_ at the IY Fanguild, for the _Best Drama_ award. Owing to this, I guess it's my turn making the guild more well-known. They are a group that awards stories in various categories four times a year. If you're interested in participating in the voting process, all you need is to follow the link I've put up in my profile (cause it doesn't work here) and sign up for an account. Every vote counts, or so they say!

**Reviews revisited:**

_Varethane_ – Thank you for your encouragement concerning Miroku and Sango's reactions. I like creating more unique scenarios, but that also means that the actions of the characters aren't that easy to justify. I'm really glad that it makes sense to you.  
Concerning the Inuyasha anime, it's generally well done. The humor is present in the manga as well, and even a few of the filler episodes weren't so bad. However, what really irks me is when the anime guys change, leave out or insert parts for no apparent reason. For instance, I remember that Kikyou threatened Inuyasha's life (the time Kagome almost stayed in the future), making the whole "I'll die for Kikyou"-thing kinda pointless.  
Anyway, Inuyasha's still alive, I hope that cheers you up!

_Kougagurl666_ – About your review, I'm pretty sure you didn't mean it like that, but being badmouthed doesn't make me write faster. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm far from mortally offended, but that kind of review could make you unpopular with someone else. Anyway, it looks like you're part of the people I shocked too much... Inuyasha's still alive, but I must warn you that the bad things are far from being over.

_Omnitoad_ – No, Inuyasha's dreams aren't due to magic on Hachiro's part. However, your observation that there's a connection between his dreams and his condition is accurate. I have to watch out with people like you – you just might guess something! ;) (and I like secrecy so much...)

_Cyan I'd_ – Well, I didn't go through with killing Inuyasha. For now, the main characters have survived. I plan to keep the situation stay messy, though. ;)

_Daniel Gudman_ – Your guess was spot-on - Inuyasha recovered. It seems like you're the only one who took a look at the chapter title... Anyway, I agree that having Sesshoumaru conveniently showing up would have been a horrible way to solve the situation. I hope mine could at least beat that one...

_Azmidiske_ – Thank you for reviewing again, and in such detail, too! I try to divide the time as evenly as possible on the characters, but I think Inuyasha usually gets a little more than the rest. Well, I guess the fact he's out cold helps even things out a bit. :) I'm glad that this is still suspenseful and since I'm slowly nearing the part of the story where things will start to be revealed, I hope it stays interesting. I liked your comment about Inuyasha's death – that was about reaction I wanted to evoke.  
I'm absolutely of your opinion when it comes to romance – I'm not interested in reading for the thousandth time how Inuyasha and Kagome find together. It doesn't bother me, either, but a story should have more plot than that. More to give it a try I worked a bit Mir/San into my story, but I don't think I'll ever really focus on it.  
Anyway, thanks again for your review. Hope to hear from you again!

_Sirei_ – You're reading my story for over two years? That's a lot of time... Well, I'm glad you finally decided to review. :) About the lack of action, I actually like writing fighting scenes, but sadly (for me ;)) the story can support only so many of them. Hearing you say that's a good thing makes me hope I'm doing it right.

_Ouatic-7_ – Well, the theme of vengeance is definitely present in my story, and I guess it will stay important. Isobe will turn up again; I guess that much is safe to say. No spirit-walking, though. :)

_Sharibet_ – I'm glad that you liked the scene between Miroku and Sango. To be honest, I'm currently not putting much effort into it. I have a few ideas for later, but with all the mess right now it just doesn't strike me as fitting to progress their relationship.

_Holly_ – You're right that this isn't turning into a rebirth story. Inuyasha made it by himself this time. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and hope you had fun with this one, too.

_Scherezade7_ – Thank you for your comments about Sango. It's sometimes hard to take her taijiya training into account without turning her too insensitive (which she isn't). I'm glad her exchange with Miroku made sense to you. Speaking of him, he's calmed down a bit, but I don't think he's put it behind him. In the end, no one of them is glad about what happened, but there are differences in their perception of the situation and how they deal with it. My biggest problem is, as always, Kagome – I hope her way of feeling guilty was believable.

_Silver Dragon 2488_ – Well, I guess I'm asking for the readers abhorring me (nice choice of word!)... In any case, I don't think I want them to be comfortable. ;)

_HMPrune_ – Yes, you were absolutely right – it was a cliffhanger because the chapter got too long. I usually try to avoid ending a chapter like that, but I thought that if I had to split it, I could pick the most evil point as well. :)

_locainlove_ – Thanks a lot for your reviews! I was moved when you really reviewed again after a month – I'm sorry it took me so long to update. Please believe me that I'm not doing it on purpose!  
I'm glad that you liked Shippou's reaction – I tried to give him more time, but the opportunity just never presented itself. However, I don't think I left out anyone else – I hope I was able to divide the time somewhat equally.

_Inu-fan783_ – I guess this time your wishes were fulfilled. Well, not counting 'Let all the bad guys die!' ;)

_Nauriell_ – I think I'm satisfied with 'speechless'. I didn't want something worse, but I'm glad the scene had some impact!

_ChevalierMalFet_ – Thanks for commending my plot handling. I usually try to combine both conclusions and new situations in my chapters, as far as possible. Since I think I _am_ sometimes dragging things out a bit, I'm glad it's not too bad. I'm on the same boat when it comes to writing – I have some music running in the background more often than not.

_En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha_ – I'm glad that you like my stories and the ideas I've worked into it. Especially the validity of Inuyasha's actions is important to me, since he's the main character of the story. When it comes to other favorite stories, I'm actually glad for good competition, since it means it's likely that I'll enjoy the story as well. :) Since I'm not really into the Romance genre, it limits the number of Inuyasha stories that appeal to me... Which story is the other favorite you were talking about?

_Nikkler_ – I didn't pull through with killing Inuyasha. Hope this chapter got me back on your good side. ;)

_AmunRa_ – Sorry that I didn't fulfill your request to get this chapter out soon! Maybe it's good that the readers don't have something to threaten me with, or I might have to live my days in fear. ;) Also, it looks like you're at the peak of the food-chain when it comes to internet logs. Would be funny if you ever found someone else reading fanfiction at work... ;)

_nikki_ – I'm not completely sure what you mean with Sango and Miroku not caring about Inuyasha. I'd be interested which parts exactly make you think so. I can follow it a bit with Miroku in the late chapters, but Sango's taking it to heart, I think. I hope this chapter helped to illustrate their positions – what do you think?

_MarcellaRyoko_ – Took me a while, but I am continuing. Inuyasha's not dead, I hope that cheers you up a bit:)

_Sinh_ – I don't entirely agree about cliffhangers being good for a story (I try to use them sparingly), but I'm with you about suspense:) I'm trying my best to keep things from getting boring, especially in chapters like this one where there's not so much action.

_Angel8818_ – I'm glad that you like this story enough to reread it a couple of times. I hope that you finally won't miss my updates anymore. ;)

_Anonymous_ – Well, I guess suspense is the most entertaining thing for me to write. If I really have to reveal something, I often try to present new questions with it. I think I can work on the Sesshoumaru-side of the plot in a few chapters, but for now it has to wait.

_AubreyWitch_ – Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you like my story (it's always good to hear someone read it from start to finish without growing bored ;)) and I hope that the wait between the chapters is acceptable.

_dark-wolf-soulX – _Well, at least you're nice about wasting space. Don't hold back any useful thoughts, though:)

_Inuyasha-is-pretty_ – Hmm, I don't this can pass off as romance, at least not as the main genre. There's a bit MirSan, but I think it's more of a subplot. I'm glad you like the story nonetheless.

_MischaelX_ – Yes, when I started writing this story I wondered what would happen if Inuyasha ever got angry at Kagome for being sat. I hope the Eiji incident was believable – we'll see how it will turn out this time. :)


	26. Chapter 25: One Second

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**September 20th, 2005: **Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:  
**Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Paradise Lost_.

**Special thanks to:**  
Again to _Xue_, my beta reader. Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 25**

_And for one second, I lost my head  
And for one second, I wished that you were dead_

_**One second**_

Two hours later, Inuyasha came to himself for the first time since his injury. Kagome almost dropped her tea – Inuyasha had been sleeping quietly all afternoon and suddenly jerked awake.

"Inuyasha!" she exclaimed.

Inuyasha looked at her confusedly, then to Miroku who was sitting next to her, and finally asked for water in a raspy voice.

"I'll go, Kagome-sama," Miroku offered immediately. "You keep watch over him."

Kagome looked down to Inuyasha again. "How are you feeling?" she asked hopefully, trying to keep her voice down.

He turned to her again. With growing agitation, she waited for him to say something.

"Water," he repeated. His eyes looked strange - she had the feeling he was staring at something next to her head. She quickly looked over her shoulder to see if there _really_ was something, half expecting that Sango, who'd left to search for Shippou, had just returned.

Nothing was there.

She turned back to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, how are you feeling?" she repeated, this time more concern ringing in her voice.

"I don't think he's quite all here," Miroku said, kneeling down next to her with a cup of tea. He offered it to her. "Do you want to?"

Kagome nodded and took it out of Miroku's hands. "Inuyasha, here's some tea," she said slowly. When he didn't show a reaction, she added, "Water."

Miroku grimaced and slid next to Inuyasha's head and took him by the shoulders to straighten him up. "Give him a sip."

Kagome looked at Miroku doubtfully, unsettled by Inuyasha's lack of response. "Are you sure it's good for him?"

Miroku nodded. "He's lost a lot of blood and hasn't drunk anything for a day. If he feels thirsty, I'm sure it's safe to give him to drink. It's some of the tea you've been drinking, it shouldn't harm him."

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha. "Water," she repeated and guided the cup to his mouth. As soon as it touched his lips, he began to drink greedily. Kagome was surprised that he didn't lose a single drop.

"He's thirsty, all right," Miroku commented with a small smile. "Why don't you get another cup, there's still enough tea left."

Kagome nodded and went for another cup of tea. She quickly refilled the cup and hurried back to Inuyasha. He started that one quickly as well, but slowed down after drinking half of it. He stopped before he finished the cup.

"I guess he's had enough," Miroku said and lowered Inuyasha's body back to the floor. The hanyou had already closed his eyes again.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha's regularly breathing form with concern. She gulped – she had never seen Inuyasha like this. "Water," he had muttered, and nothing else. She didn't know what exactly she had expected, but definitely... more. Only now did she notice how fast her heart was still beating.

She guessed part of her agitation also derived from the fact that she was unsure how Inuyasha was going to react once he was back to his senses. The difficult part still lay ahead – he hadn't had much chance to get angry in this condition. There hadn't been a sign that he even recognized her.

'_Will he even remember what happened?'_ Kagome wondered suddenly. Inuyasha couldn't remember some of what had happened during his transformations. And his eyed _had_ been tinged with red during his fight with Isobe; she was sure of that. Maybe he wouldn't remember the fight or parts of it? What should she tell him if didn't remember the... end of his fight? _'Do you not want him to remember?' _a guilty voice asked in her head.

Unbidden, images of Inuyasha not remembering anything appeared in her mind. What if he hadn't gotten enough oxygen while his heart had stood still? Could a hanyou suffer brain damage? Would he stay crippled for the rest of his life, unable to do much more than to ask for water like an infant?

"Kagome, are you feeling okay?" Miroku snapped her out of her thoughts. "You've gone all white."

She turned to him and asked after a second, "Miroku, do you think that Inuyasha will be all right when he's healed?"

Miroku looked at her intensely for a second, and then smiled. "I have to admit this thought has crossed my mind. However, this incident has ceased my worries – asking for water strikes me as a very sensible thing to do. He didn't need much help with sitting up, either."

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha, feeling reassured. _'It's better if he remembers everything,'_ she decided, _'than nothing at all. I'm glad he's alive.'_

She watched Inuyasha attentively for a few minutes, but the hanyou just continued breathing regularly. "I think he's looking better," Kagome said in a half-asking voice.

Miroku nodded. "Yes, I think so, too."

Kagome was silent for a minute. "Thank you, Miroku."

"It's all right, Kagome," Miroku assured.

"No, I really mean it. I'm sure you have reason to be angry with him; and still..." Kagome drifted off.

Miroku didn't answer immediately. "I _am_ still angry with him," he finally said. "However, I've decided to resolve this matter when he is well. There can be no resolution without Inuyasha."

"What will you do when he wakes up?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know if I'll talk to him immediately after he wakes up; it will depend on his condition," Miroku explained. "However, I'll confront him as soon as possible. He made a mistake and we all must make certain he doesn't do something like this again. Though it might take some persuasion, I think that even Inuyasha will see the wrongs of hurting villagers and attacking _friends_."

Kagome gulped. The way Miroku accentuated the last word made very clear that the matter was far from being concluded. _'Well, what did you think?'_ Kagome asked herself. _'That Miroku would just forget it?'_

"You're angry that he hurt Sango, aren't you?" Kagome asked.

"I'm - Yes. He shouldn't discard his friends so quickly..." Miroku drifted off. "Damn, Kagome, a single word from him and we would have stood by his side! Aren't you vexed by the stupidity of it all?"

Kagome stared, surprised by Miroku's outburst. _'If you put it that way... Would we have helped Inuyasha if he had asked?'_ Miroku obviously was sure of it, and she agreed with him. Somehow, she was starting to get the feeling this wasn't only about what Inuyasha had done to Sango. "Is there something you want to talk about, Miroku?"

She watched Miroku's irritated frown turn thoughtful, only to be replaced by his usual, calm face after a second. "Thank you for your offer," he said with a small smile.

Kagome sighed. "I guess that means no?"

"Well, the person I need to talk to is still asleep," Miroku reasoned.

Kagome was about to answer when a man suddenly entered the hut. She turned to the newcomer, examining him. He stayed in the entrance and nodded in greeting. "Can I help you?" she asked. She recognized him as one of the villagers, though she couldn't remember ever exchanging a word with him.

"The Lady... erm... Youkai-Killer has asked me to tell you she spotted..." He drifted off again, furrowing his brow.

"Shippou?" Miroku supplied.

"Yeah, Shippou, that's the name," the man agreed. "She spotted him in the forest and will be back soon." He stared at them for a few seconds. "That's all," he added.

"Well..." Kagome was unsure how to answer. "Thank you."

The man shrugged and left the hut with a muttered, "Bye."

Kagome looked after him. _'No wonder I never talked to him... He's a man of few words.'_

"Do you also think this is suspicious?" Miroku asked worriedly.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would Sango send someone if she has already spotted Shippou?" Miroku asked.

Kagome thought about it. "I guess she just wants us to know that everything is all right, so we don't worry. I know the villager, I've seen him before."

Miroku shifted from one side to the other. "If she's not back in fifteen minutes," he stated, "I'll go looking for her."

o o o o o

Sango turned away from another villager, having gotten the same answer again – no one seemed to know where Shippou was. _'What's the little rascal up to?'_ she wondered, continuing her search through the village. With Inuyasha's current condition, and Shippou's reaction when he learned of it, she would have thought that Shippou would show up at least a few times.

She thought that Miroku had noticed her worries when he offered to join her, but she had told him that someone should stay with Kagome and Inuyasha. He'd tried to go by himself, saying that she shouldn't overexert her leg. That had been laughable, of course, as it was his arm that needed rest. To be honest with herself, though, her growing unease wouldn't have let her sit quietly in the hut any longer.

"Excuse me, have you seen Shippou?" she asked another villager she happened upon.

"Shippou... That's the little fox, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sango confirmed. "Have you seen him?"

The man – she guessed him about forty – scratched his chin. "Well, I saw him disappear into the forest this morning. Haven't seen him all day, though."

Sango's worries increased. "Do you remember where?"

"Well, must have been..." He drifted off and turned to look at the forest. "Somewhere in this direction," he finished with a vague wave of his hand.

Sango tried to remember if there was anything special there, but as far as she knew the forest only got deeper in that direction. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." The man bowed slightly. "Good luck finding him!"

Sango quickly left in the indicated direction. She wondered again why Shippou had stayed away for so long – maybe he'd gotten hurt in the forest and couldn't return?

'_What if it is Isobe?'_ she asked herself. They had no clue how and especially where he had fled, so there was no way of knowing if he hadn't already shown up again. As she approached the border of the village she began to feel like she was running directly into a trap with Shippou as the bait.

Right before she passed the last houses of the village she turned around, looking back. _'Maybe I should get the others? Or at least Kirara?'_ she thought. They had to watch over Inuyasha, though. Kirara was the only one who could move Inuyasha quickly if they had to. A look at the horizon also showed that there wasn't much time left – maybe half an hour until sunset.

She put her hands to her mouth and shouted, "Shippou!" She waited for a few seconds and shouted again, but got no answer. _'I guess there's no way round it...'_

She noticed a villager returning from the fields and ran to him as fast as her leg allowed. "Excuse me," she began as she intercepted him.

"Yes?" the man asked in a bored tone.

"Could you please tell Miroku and Kagome that..." She drifted off, thinking about what exactly he should tell them. Miroku would maybe go after her immediately if she informed them to search for her if she didn't return soon.

"Yeah?" the villager said after a few seconds.

"Could you tell them that I've heard that Shippou's in the forest?" she asked him, showing him where she would search for the kid. "I'll go look for him and will be back soon." She stopped again, thinking of a time frame. "Could you tell them that I'll be back in half an hour?"

When the man nodded, she thanked him and quickly left for the forest. _'Is this really a good plan' _she wondered as she approached the first trees, walking up the slope that separated them from the fields. _'Half an hour is a lot of time to get in trouble.'_ She stopped and gripped at her hip, touching the hilt of her sword. Hiraikotsu would have felt better, but it was reassuring as well. Her leg was still bothering her, but she thought that she would be able to use it normally for a while. At the least for a short period of time she should be able to fight at almost her usual ability. She'd often gone hunting youkai alone, and now she couldn't shy away from searching for a little kid. Considering the injuries of Miroku, he might not be able to help much, anyway.

'_Let's get this over with.'_ She entered the forest and started to search the perimeter. She found the first lead after a few minutes, almost at the same place the villager had pointed out. _'I doubt Miroku would have noticed this,'_ she thought, looking at the broken twig. As a good part of her village's assignments had been the extermination of small youkai, this kind of youkai was what she had the most experience in when it came to tracking. And counting everything together – the position of the twig, the form of the crack and the ground underneath – it fit someone of Shippou's stature perfectly.

She tried to guess his path and continued in the most likely direction. She kept her eyes open for signs of a fight, but the next clue she found also indicated that Shippou had only passed by. Assured that she was on the right path, she picked up her pace. It cost her stealth of movement, but the light was already beginning to fade and she barely had ten minutes before she had to turn back to return safely. Without light, she would be unable to look for Shippou and possible pursuers as well. She wondered shortly whether she should just get a torch or rally a search party, but came to no quick conclusion and instead concentrated on searching while the sun was still spending light.

She continued for another minute and came across claw marks on a tree. She was alarmed at first, but quickly noticed that they were too small to originate from a large animal or youkai. _'Are they Shippou's?'_ she wondered. As she knelt down to examine them further, she suddenly heard something. She looked up, and after a few seconds heard it again – a quiet sound, something mixed with a muffled shout.

She abandoned the claw mark, looking around to remember a few landmarks if she needed to find it again, and approached the sound quickly but quietly. As she neared the origin, the number of trees with claw marks increased. Bewildered, Sango placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. She was sure now that the shouts were Shippou's. She quickened her pace.

She could finally make him out, half-hidden by another tree. He jumped away from something, his expression hard to make out but fixed on his adversary. She already wanted to shout his name when he turned around and clawed at a tree. He followed up with the left and jumped back again. His eye must have caught her in his turn because he called out her name in surprise.

"Sango!"

She stared at him. He was sweating, but otherwise he seemed all right. "Shippou, what are you doing in the middle of the forest?"

The boy stepped from one foot to the other, looking to the ground. "Nothing," he said innocently.

Sango looked around, examining the surroundings. Instead of opponents she saw only claw marks on most of the trees. She couldn't remember fox demons doing something like this out of habit. _'Is he angry? Is he letting it out?'_ she wondered.

"Nothing? Shippou, you've scratched almost every tree around here!"

Shippou looked up defiantly. "So what?"

Sango took her hand away from her sword and exhaled, glad that he was unhurt. "Shippou, you can't stay away all day."

"And why can't I?" Shippou asked rebelliously.

"Because we worried about you!" Sango exlaimed. "We thought something happened to you when you didn't return all day."

That seemed to take the fight out of him. "I'm okay..." he said, avoiding her eyes.

Sango brushed through her hair with her hand. "Well, let's return, all right?"

Shippou hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and came with her. She told him to lead the way, lying that there wasn't enough light for her to see well anymore. He agreed and moved ahead of her where she could keep an easy eye on him.

'_That's Shippou for you,'_ Sango thought. _'Giving us all a scare and then he's just playing in the forest.'_ It still seemed a bit weird to her, but for now she preferred to return quickly before she _really _hadn't enough light.

"Sango?" Shippou snapped her out of her thoughts. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Shippou asked after a while. "I don't even know how Inuyasha got hurt."

Sango looked at him from behind, considering what she should say. "After you left to go looking for Kagome and Inuyasha, we talked a bit with Isobe," she began, seeing him bristle at the mention of the name. "When Kagome and Inuyasha arrived without you –"

Shippou slowed his steps for a moment. Sango watched him, waiting if he'd say something or even lose his calm again, but he fell back to his old pace.

"I was about to talk to Kagome about our plan," Sango continued, "when Inuyasha caught sight of us. He attacked all of a sudden and –"

"Inuyasha started the fight?" Shippou interrupted without turning around. "I thought Hachiro did because Inuyasha's a hanyou. Why did Inuyasha attack?"

"We don't know. Inuyasha didn't give any reason and we haven't... couldn't ask him."

Shippou thought about it for some time. "Inuyasha must have had some reason. Hachiro can't be an ordinary person if he's better than Inuyasha."

Sango stopped walking, causing Shippou to stop as well and turn to look at her. She found it increasingly difficult to talk. "Actually, _Inuyasha _had the upper hand. He... I..." She drifted off.

"Sango?"

Sango gulped and took a deep breath. "At that time, we thought that Inuyasha wasn't in his right mind. I... I asked Kagome to sit him – and she finally... did."

Shippou stared at the ground, not saying anything.

"Come on," Sango said, unnerved because he wouldn't look at her. "Let's get going. It's getting dark."

Shippou hesitated for a second, and then nodded. They left, keeping quiet until Sango could make out the end of the forest.

"And Isobe took advantage of Inuyasha's position?" Shippou asked rather suddenly.

"Yes," Sango answered after a moment.

"_How?_"

Sango hesitated at the harsh word. _'Damn, I wished Kagome was here...'_ Her friend had a talent for pretty-painting the truth for children. _'Will Shippou be able to deal with it?'_ She couldn't help remembering Shippou's hollering screams the day before.

"Sango, I have a right to know!" Shippou insisted, stopping at the edge of the forest.

'_I guess he has...'_ Sango thought. She thought that he looked like he honestly wanted to know, not like he was about to freak out screaming murder again. _'We can't hide it forever. Sooner or later, he'll get to know everything.'_ She sat down at the slope and patted beside her, inviting Shippou to join her. _'This'll just save us a lot of tiptoeing until he does.'_

He sat down beside her, eyeing her curiously. "All right, I'll tell you," Sango said. She turned away, barely catching Shippou's approving nod, and looked down to the village. The sinking sun cast it in a dark orange, the long shadows making the houses seem bigger than they were. "What do you want to know?"

"Like I said – what exactly happened after Kagome sat Inuyasha?"

Sango couldn't help but notice the raw emotion in Shippou's voice. Whether it was the need to know or disappointment at their actions, she couldn't tell. "Inuyasha was subdued as usual. Isobe used the situation to wrestle Tetsusaiga out of Inuyasha's hand and... attack him with it." She cast a glance at Shippou, who was now also observing the village.

"And then?" he asked quietly.

"Isobe turned on us. Miroku hurt his arm and resorted to using his Kazaana. Isobe disappeared, but Miroku swears he didn't suck him up."

"Do you think he's not telling the truth?" Shippou asked hopefully after a few seconds.

"Miroku?" Sango asked surprisedly, getting angry at Shippou's tone. "Of course he's telling the truth. He wouldn't fool us over something as important as this!"

"I guess you're right," Shippou agreed meekly.

"I am," Sango stated. Even if she could understand why the prospect of Miroku sucking up Isobe didn't seem so bad to Shippou, it was no reason to _hope_ for it. While she knew that Miroku often didn't act like a monk should, she was sure that it wouldn't be easy for him to justify killing a human. He wouldn't mislead them just to escape the consequences of his Buddhist vows, since she was sure it was primarily important to _himself_.

"Sorry," Shippou added.

Sango only nodded in acknowledgment, but felt her anger at Shippou leave her. They didn't speak for a minute, lost in their own thoughts.

"Was it the only way?" Shippou broke the silence after a while.

Sango stared down to the village, her eyes straying to the place where everything had happened. "I don't know," she finally said. "We tried to stop him, but we couldn't. He hadn't listened to anything we said. Then he started throwing around his blood claws... I don't know."

"The hut is his work? With the blood claws?"

Sango nodded. "Yes."

"I thought it looked strange..." Shippou said, drifting off. He turned to Sango, giving her a pointed look. "And your leg?"

Sango stared back, hesitating.

"Sango, you said you'd tell me what happened."

"Yes, it was Inuyasha," Sango admitted after another moment. "However, I don't think he really wanted to hurt me. If he put all he had into it, I wouldn't be walking after only a day. Maybe he was angry that I tried to stop him, or he just wanted to make sure that I wouldn't interfere."

"So that's why Miroku's acting strangely..."

"Partially, yes," Sango agreed. "Miroku's different from yesterday, though. If you hadn't been away all day worrying us, you'd have seen that his stance changed."

"Sorry about that, Sango," Shippou said. "You worried over me?"

Sango looked away. "Well, we all wondered where you were!" she said quickly. "Who wouldn't worry?"

Shippou smiled slightly. "Sorry," he repeated. "I won't do it again... I just... I was just training what he showed me."

"You were _training_..." Sango said, more to herself. His strange behavior made sense now – it had to do with Inuyasha's agreement to train him. She scolded herself – she hadn't paid attention to what the two had been doing exactly, too occupied with Miroku and her great grandfather.

The topic let one of Sango's earliest memories resurface. _'Always be attentive of your surroundings,'_ she remembered her father telling the class, during one of her first lessons as a youkai hunter, when she hadn't been much taller than Shippou and also eager to prove her worth. _'You cannot rely on just your eyes when hunting for youkai. Indeed, it's better to never trust what you see. If your eyes tell you one thing and your instinct another, have your weapons ready, and someone guarding your back.'_

She had been young, thinking that he was just trying to scare them all into listening to his lecture. She quickly learned that they weren't just hollow words, so why had she disregarded them this time? Maybe there hadn't been anything definite, but a sleazy character like Isobe should have set off a few of her alarm bells nonetheless. She was a youkai hunter – she couldn't believe in questionable strangers. The only people she could trust were people close to her - the last instance would always be herself.

"Shippou, did you notice anything strange about Isobe?" Sango asked, seeing Shippou flinch again at the mention of the name.

"Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"To be prepared next time," Sango said quietly.

Shippou grimaced. "There will be a next time, won't there?"

"I don't know, but I guess so," Sango said. "No, I'm sure this isn't over."

Shippou answered after a minute. "I can't remember anything strange about Isobe. He was just a normal human. Maybe if I had been there during the fight..."

'_Even Shippou didn't notice anything,'_ Sango thought. _'I'd hoped that his heightened demon senses had picked up something, but no such luck...'_ Would Shippou have picked up a clue if he had been present at the fight?

"Why weren't you there? You met with Inuyasha, didn't you?" Sango asked, turning to Shippou. The kid didn't say anything for a while, but she waited for him, becoming increasingly suspicious.

"Inuyasha and I had a quarrel when he returned from Kagome's time," Shippou began, keeping his eyes fixed on the village below.

"What did you fight about?" Sango asked, hearing of this for the first time. She briefly wondered if Kagome knew about it, and why she hadn't told her if she did.

"I asked Inuyasha if I could have a weapon, and he got really angry when I mentioned it. I still don't really understand it... I hoped that Inuyasha would like it if I continued with his training."

Sango thought about it. There were reasons for and against Shippou's request, but she didn't know why Inuyasha would get angry about it, to the point where Shippou was troubled about it. _'Maybe Inuyasha has bad memories about learning fighting himself?'_ That was a possibility, but a bit vague. It didn't look like Shippou knew anything more about it; she should really ask Kagome. Taking all of the strange events together, she got the feeling that Kagome wasn't telling them everything she should.

"Hey, Sango, Inuyasha will wake up, won't he?" Shippou asked beside her. "I... really thought he was going to die."

Sango didn't answer immediately. "Was it because of his smell?"

Shippou nodded slowly. "He smelled... like my dad when I last saw him. My dad died."

"I'm sorry," Sango said hesitantly. "I'm sure Inuyasha will make it," she added, hoping to console Shippou.

"He smelled better this morning..." Shippou drifted off. He opened his mouth as if to start talking, but then closed it again.

"Sango, is it strange that I didn't feel sad?" he finally asked rather suddenly.

Sango turned to Shippou. "How do you mean that?"

"Kagome cries when things like these happen. You also cried when Inuyasha almost died, and even Miroku was holding back," Shippou explained. "But I didn't. All I could think about was killing Hachiro."

"Shippou..."

"Is it because I'm a youkai? It was the same with my dad – when I saw him... wrapped around Manten... I only could think about killing the bastard." Shippou gulped. "But I didn't completely lose it like this time."

Sango turned to Shippou. "You don't feel sad at all?"

Shippou shook his head. "I do. Only – later."

"You're not so different from us, then," Sango said, looking away. "Revenge... The need for revenge is a strong feeling..."

She stopped, remembering her own experiences. She had lost her father and their companions and still tried to kill the demon posing as the old castle's lord, the one responsible for it all. But she hadn't made it, almost being killed by her brothers scythe. She had fallen unconscious and when she had come to, she'd been engulfed, unable to breathe. Unable to _move_.

Mostly it had been the wish for vengeance that had given her the strength to dig out of her grave.

When she'd heard that the demon posing as the castle's lord had already been slain, it had left her hollow. She could remember only bits and pieces about that time – until she'd heard that Inuyasha had eradicated her village.

'_I would have killed him if I could.'_

"Many... people aren't sad at first," she told Shippou quietly.

"Really?"

"Or maybe they are," Sango said after a moment. "And they just forget about it."

She shook her head and stood up. This conversation was going in a direction she wasn't comfortable with. "Come on, we shouldn't keep the others waiting."

o o o o o

Miroku shifted, becoming more uneasy by the second. If Sango didn't return _soon_, they'd have to search for her in the _dark_. He gave his hurt arm an angry look, cursing it for its uselessness. _'I shouldn't have let Sango talk me into staying behind...'_ It made him feel like a burden.

He wasn't sure about Sango's safety in light of Isobe's strange disappearance. A guy who would openly start a fight in the middle of a village, who could tell what other stupid ideas he might have got?

The first time he'd wanted to leave, Kagome had stopped him, but it looked like she'd started to worry as well. She kept throwing glances at the entrance. Maybe the time was ripe for another try?

His musings were cut short when Shippou stepped into the hut and, to Miroku's relief, Sango followed after him moments later. "Welcome back, Sango!"

Sango waved with her hand in return, smiling a bit. "Mission accomplished."

"Shippou, where have you been?" Kagome asked worriedly.

Shippou shrugged. "In the forest."

Miroku wanted to ask what Shippou had been up to, but Sango locked eyes with him and shook her head, indicating to leave it at that.

"Any change with Inuyasha?" Sango asked then.

Kagome was quick to fill them in that Inuyasha had woken up during their absence, her excited tone only weakening when she told them that he hadn't recognized anyone. Nonetheless, Sango and Shippou were glad to hear about it. Sango said that she was sure Inuyasha would be up and about soon.

Miroku also found himself adopting the relieved atmosphere, extending Kagome's tale when he found his own role neglected. He was soon interrupted by Kagome, though, who again took up the story and excitedly – and in great detail – told them how she had given Inuyasha something to drink and that he hadn't spilled anything.

Before the dust had really settled, Kaede entered the hut and was also told about Inuyasha's recovery. She only said that it was about time, but it was clear from her face that she was also glad.

"Looks like I'll have my hut back soon," Kaede added gruffly after a look at Inuyasha.

"We can make room for you," Kagome immediately offered, already looking around for possibilities to save space.

"Calm down, I was only joking. I'll stay with Hisa again for tonight," Kaede interjected.

'_Hisa... Must be the name of the hurt girl,'_ Miroku concluded. "I thought she had already woken up?"

"Yes, that's right," Kaede agreed. "But I'll stay there just in case something unexpected happens. The child's also not happy about having to stay in bad, and she'll make less trouble if I'm present."

Miroku nodded. "Thank you for lending us your hut, Kaede-sama."

"Don't mention it," Kaede said with a wave of her hand. "Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me."

o o o o o

The next hours passed relatively uneventfully. They ate dinner, watched over Inuyasha and kept the light in the hut alive.

They decided to continue to take turns watching Inuyasha. Kagome insisted on taking the first shift again, so Miroku and Sango also agreed to keep to the same order as last night. After keeping Kagome company for a while, they left to go to sleep. Shippou settled down next to Kirara, seeming pretty tired, and Kagome was left alone with Inuyasha and her thoughts.

She already felt tired herself, but she had to let Sango and Miroku get at least a few hours of sleep – they were both still recovering from the fight. She'd offered to keep watch by herself, but they'd turned it down immediately. To be honest, she didn't think she'd be able to stay awake all night; not without a lot of coffee, at least. She couldn't even leave to get a pot, since she didn't want to face her mother without Inuyasha again. Although she had helped her and given her ointment along the way, she didn't think her mother had really bought the idea of Inuyasha not showing up because he was hurt. If he didn't wake up soon, though, she wouldn't have any other option. She wanted to see Souta, too.

Kagome sighed, feeling overwhelmed by all the loose ends. She really hoped Inuyasha would wake up soon, so they could clear up the misunderstandings – with Sango, with her mother and Souta. _'And with me, too,'_ she added silently, thinking of sitting him when it wasn't the right thing to do, whatever Miroku might tell her.

She brushed her hair out of her face, throwing a side glance at the sleeping hanyou. _'When will you wake up?'_

As if to answer her question, Inuyasha bolted up with a gasp, his eyes wide and his forehead covered with sweat.

Kagome flinched, startled by the sudden awakening. "Inuyasha!"

Upon hearing her voice, Inuyasha turned his head in her direction and got to his feet in a smooth motion. His eyes narrowed, staring at her coldly, and his hand brushed at his hip as if searching for something. Like a few days ago, Kagome had the impression of seeing another person.

She stood up quickly. "Inuyasha, how are you?" Kagome asked concernedly, running towards him.

Inuyasha's expression turned confused for a moment. After a few seconds, he shook his head and then his face suddenly became angry.

"You!" he shouted, straightening up. "Stay away from me!"

Kagome stopped when he stretched out his open hand defensively. "Inuyasha, calm down!" she urged. "You're still injured."

"I'm still injured? Why, thanks for telling me!"

Kagome gulped, hurt by the sarcasm in Inuyasha's reply. "Please don't move any more than you have to," she continued, trying to keep her voice strong and even.

"I'll move as much as I want to!" Inuyasha replied heatedly. He started looking around. "Where the hell's Tetsusaiga?"

"Inuyasha, you're up!" Sango said, entering the room. Kagome felt relieved to hear Sango's voice; it didn't seem like he wanted to listen to her. After a moment, Miroku stepped into the room as well.

Inuyasha spared them a glance, then continued looking for Tetsusaiga and found it lying next to Kirara, who had changed into her larger form but was still sitting on the ground. Shippou was awake as well, looking like he wanted to say something. Inuyasha moved to pick up Tetsusaiga.

Kirara gave Sango a questioning look, her muscles flexing, but let Inuyasha proceed after Sango shook her head.

Inuyasha put his sword through his sash and turned around. "_Where_ is he?"

"Isobe?" Sango asked.

"Isobe..." Inuyasha mumbled, looking distracted for a second. Then he seemed to catch himself, his angry expression returning. "I want to know where the hell he is!"

Sango folded her arms in front of her. "How do you know him?"

"That's _none_ of your business!" Inuyasha growled.

"But it is," Miroku interjected. "Not only did he know about Sango's ancestor, he almost killed us."

"What a pity he didn't succeed!" Inuyasha said sarcastically.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. "You're going too far!"

"At least not as far as you," Inuyasha shot back.

Kagome gulped, feeling tears stinging in her eyes. "Do you think I wanted this to happen? I worried over you the whole time!"

"You should have worried before you backstabbed me!" Inuyasha retorted coldly.

Kagome was stunned for a second. _'You're going too far! We all worried over you!'_ she thought angrily. "You idiot!" she cried, wiping at her face. "Idiot!"

"Right, I was quite the idiot!" Inuyasha agreed. "But not anymore!"

For a while, nobody said a word.

"Feeling better now?" Sango asked finally, breaking the silence.

Inuyasha looked away. "Where is Isobe?" he asked, staring out through the door. After a second, he turned his head to Sango, looking at her intently.

"Why did you attack him?" Miroku retorted.

"If we tell you our story," Sango interrupted after a second of silence, addressing Inuyasha, "will you tell what you know?"

"Sango..." Miroku said uncertainly.

Sango kept her eyes locked with Inuyasha. "How about it? Inuyasha, this is leading nowhere. You're saying things you'll regret later."

Inuyasha seemed to consider for a second, then he nodded. "All right." He kept standing determinedly in place.

Kagome gulped again, wiping at her eyes again. This had finally caught Inuyasha's attention. _'He's reacting worse than I feared,'_ she thought, trying to catch her composure. _'I've never seen him so angry before.' _She had honestly wanted to apologize to him, but like this she wasn't even sure if he would accept it. She also felt like she deserved an apology from him, but it didn't look like she would get it anytime soon.

Sango had started to tell how Miroku and she had met Isobe; that he had followed them from the mining village and offered to trade information about her great-grandfather. Kagome felt a bit left out of the picture, not least because Inuyasha wouldn't even spare her a single glance.

"After that we waited for you in front of Kaede's hut," Sango ended her tale. "Until you showed up and started the fight."

She looked at Inuyasha expectantly. "Your turn," she added.

"Like hell," Inuyasha contradicted her. "What happened after you pinned me to ground?"

Kagome almost gasped at the blatant question.

"After _Isobe_ pinned you to the ground," Miroku corrected.

"What happened?" Inuyasha repeated undeterred.

"It's time for _you_ to reveal what you know," Miroku retorted.

"We fought with Isobe and he disappeared, we don't know how," Sango cut in, earning a displeased look from Miroku. "That's all we know."

"You don't know where he is?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"It's true," Kagome said urgently. "He tried to kill us all, but we fought him and he suddenly disappeared when we had him cornered. Inuyasha, we're telling you the truth! We helped you!"

Inuyasha gave her an angry look, but didn't say anything. Finally, he turned around and walked to the door.

Miroku stepped into his way, blocking the way outside. "Inuyasha, you owe us an explanation."

"I owe you nothing," Inuyasha said angrily, stopping in front of Miroku. "Get out of my way."

"So you can do what?" Miroku asked, standing his ground.

Kagome gathered her courage and stepped next to Miroku. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she refused to acknowledge it. "Please, Inuyasha, you're still not recovered. I know you're angry, but we have to clear this up later! You have to rest!"

Without answering, Inuyasha pushed through them. Kagome noticed that Miroku didn't really resist and more or less let Inuyasha pass. "Inuyasha, where are you going?" she shouted after him.

Inuyasha turned around, his expression hard to make out with only a bit light from the hut illuminating his features in the darkness. "_You_ don't have a right to ask me anything!" he shouted. "Save your lies for someone else!"

"That's enough!" Miroku commanded. "Inuyasha, I won't allow anyone to speak like that to Kagome."

"I'll say what I want," Inuyasha shot back and took a step forward with his right foot, getting into a combat stance. His left hand was resting on Tetsusaiga's sheath. "I'd like to see you try stopping me!"

Miroku also took a step forward. Kagome looked at him - his face looked strained, as if his self-control was running thin. "I hope it won't become necessary," the monk replied. "Why are you so angry with Kagome? It has to do with Isobe, doesn't it? What is your connection to him?"

"You shouldn't have interfered," Inuyasha said coldly.

"But we did," Miroku retorted. "And you know why? We interfered because you didn't give us even the tiniest hint!"

"I trusted you," Inuyasha growled, straightening up and taking his hand away from Tetsusaiga. He turned around. "And you should have trusted me," he said with his back turned to the others. "I'll be looking for Haranobu. Don't follow me – I don't want to see you again."

Kagome gasped, but before she could say anything, Inuyasha started into the darkness and was gone in a matter of seconds. She stared after him and only distantly noticed her eyes watering. "Inuyasha," she mumbled. "What..."

She noticed a hand being put on her shoulder. "Let him calm down," Sango whispered into her ear.

Kagome turned to her friend. "Sango, he won't calm down! He _hates_ me!" She started to cry. _'He really hates me...'_ she thought desperately.

Something quickly brushed by her feet. "Inuyasha!" she heard Shippou cry, running after the hanyou. "Wait!" Through eyes clouded with tears, she watched the little youkai disappear in the darkness as well.

"Inuyasha, what are you up to?" Miroku muttered beside her. "Who do you mean by Haranobu?"

* * *

**Author rantings:**

Sorry, the wait this time has been especially long. :-/ I'm not doing it on purpose, but it has a reason – I've started to write on a real book. It's still in the beginning stage, but maybe, with a bit luck, it will be published. Because of this, I had to reduce the time I'm spending on _Settle the Score_, but believe me that I'm still writing on it. Just – less. I'm hoping for your understanding!

I'm also happy that one of my oldest goals was fulfilled a few weeks ago – I'm on the favorite author list of more than a hundred people - 104, to be exact. :) I guess I'm bragging a bit, but I'm really happy about this! I also hope that this means that a lot of people are reading this story – that's what I'm writing it for!

**Reviews revisited:**

_Shaid_ – Thanks for calling the story realistic. Not least because of all the supernatural elements, I'm trying hard to keep the story from becoming unbelievable. I hope I can keep this up.

_AubreyWitch_ – Well... I guess it's good I'm getting an emotion out of you, though I hope irritation isn't the only one. :) I agree that keeping the character flaws in check is very important, maybe the thing giving a character the most personality.

_En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha_ – LOL, you were talking about _Present Time_... It's one of my favorites as well, I even beta-read for Alandrem for a short while (until she stopped writing on it... :-/) I sometimes wonder if I haven't picked up a bit of Alandrem's style, since her story has been mentioned in a few of my reviews already. As long as I'm not copying her, I hope it is a good thing...

_Holly_ – I hope I haven't lost you now. Would be good to know you're still around! To tell the truth, I'm also not reading much Inuyasha fanfiction anymore – maybe because there's so many stories.

_Eostra_ – He, I guess you're right. There aren't many stories that let the main character die soon. About important support characters, I have to disagree, though. Some of my favorite books were rather unscrupulous in that regard. (Not unlike FF7.)

_Kougagurl666_ – Well, no bad blood. I'm glad I didn't offend you, either. :)

_AidbiA_ – I'm glad you liked the scene between Kagome and Sango. I often get the impression that especially Sango's problems are evaded by the authors. Anyway, Sango has now caught that Kagome's hiding something...

_Locainlove_ – Well, you're not wrong that Kohaku's and Inuyasha's situation isn't exactly the same. Kagome's overtired, and a lot was thrown at her lately (by me ;)), and that is taking its toll.

_AmunRa_ – I'm glad that you liked the Inuyasha sequence in the last two chapters. I was unsure about it, since it doesn't really explain anything. Still, I think it's important for setting up the scene.

_Caitriona695_ – Again, thanks for your great review! Hope to hear from you!

_MoonMist_ – Well, I guess this story hasn't been a "fast one" for some time. :) I'm glad that my characterization and plot got you hooked. I sometimes have problems balancing those two elements, since I hold both of them in equal esteem.

_reispirit_ – Yes, Kagome is the character I'm having the most problems with. I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I guess it's mainly because she's a girl. Sometimes I have to decide between a couple of reactions which all seem equally (un)likely to me...

_Tragedy Lover_ – Well, I guess it's finally obvious that Inuyasha hasn't died. Since you read a lot of tragedy, I hope the recent happenings continue to catch your interest (and also make sense).

_Lil'Frog_ – Your reviews actually were some of my favorites this time. The anger you expressed in your first review reflects the trouble Sango's had to face. I guess I'll have to look at this chapter, though, so the anger's not directed at _me_. There has to be something I can improve to prevent this misunderstanding. Thanks for your honesty!

_Lake of Fire_ – Well, I've actually betaread _Present Times_. :) I guess Kagome's mother is pictured a bit differently there, although there are a few things that I adopted. Anyway, I'm glad that my version of Asami doesn't seem unbelievable to you.

_NeverTooOld_ – Thank you for your review! It's good to hear that the different problems between the characters are interesting to read about. Sometimes it's not easy to keep all the differences in check, so I'm glad it's making sense. It's interesting to see you predict some of the decisions Souta will have to face. :)


	27. Chapter 26: Legend of a Banished Man

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**February 8th, 2006: **Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:  
**Inuyasha and the other characters by Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Amon Amarth_.

**Special thanks to:   
**I had some trouble with getting this chapter beta-read. Luckily, some of my readers offered their help. Thanks to all of you, and especially to the actual beta readers - _HMPRune_ and _Remora29_. Gracias!

* * *

**  
** **Chapter 26**

_But no one knows  
How the legend goes  
'Cause no one's survived  
That's gazed into his eyes_

_**Legend Of A Banished Man**_

Inuyasha stopped after passing the first row of trees.

"Aaah," he coughed, bending over a bit. The run had increased the pain in his chest. "Dammit," he muttered, catching his breath. It came unusually short and raspy. Already at the village he had felt that breathing took more effort than usual - not that he would have given Kagome and the rest the satisfaction of admitting it.

"Fucking traitorous bastards," Inuyasha cursed under his breath. Just thinking about them roused his anger. They'd obviously thought that he'd just accept whatever they threw at him. _'But that's over! I'm not their damn lapdog!'_

He could clearly see now that it was exactly what he had been. _He_ had always risked his neck in the front line; _he_ had always been blamed when something went wrong; _he_ had always been sat like a stupid dog whenever something wasn't to their liking. _'It's a wonder they didn't teach me fucking tricks!'_

"I was an idiot!" he cursed. "But not anymore."

Anger surged through him – intense and unforgiving.

'_Not anymore...'_ he repeated in his mind.

A smell caught his attention. _'Shippou...'_ He hesitated for a moment.

"Inuyasha!" he heard Shippou shout, still from far away. "Please don't leave us alone!"

The little fox demon was quickly coming closer. Inuyasha moved away from his position, taking cover behind a tree. After a moment of gathering his strength, he jumped up. Shortly, he decided to jump to another tree, leaving quite some distance behind him. _'That should serve to distract him for now...' _Hedidn't think that he could outrun Shippou in his condition – his chest hurt from just the two jumps.

"We're all really sorry!" Shippou shouted from below. From the sound of it he had also entered the forest and started to search for him.

'_I don't care if they're sorry!'_ Inuyasha thought angrily.

"What about my training!" Shippou shouted.

Inuyasha hesitated, feeling his anger leave. _'He wasn't involved. He's the only one who didn't stab me in the back.'_ He felt guilty about leaving him behind - with _them_.

"I trained really hard while you were sleeping! Inuyasha!"

But he couldn't take Shippou with him; he would just slow him down.

"Sorry," Inuyasha muttered quietly. He steeled himself. "This is something I have to do by myself."

Already about to leave, Inuyasha paused when he noticed Shippou's steps move in his direction. _'Dammit, did he hear me?'_ It almost seemed like it. _'Well, it makes no difference. I've regained my breath.'_ The kid didn't have the skill it took to track him.

Quietly, Inuyasha vanished into the night, leaving the shouting fox demon behind.

He didn't look back.

He moved quietly and swiftly, as far as his condition allowed. He had to skip the swift part soon, though, again running short on breath. _'Damn, this hurts...'_ He felt like his lungs didn't get enough air, no matter how deep he was breathing. On top of it, he was beginning to feel dizzy.

After only walking for a short time he stopped, bending down again to ease his breathing. "Shit!" he coughed. Proceeding made no sense. _'If I run into a fight like this, I'm mincemeat.'_

He needed to rest. _'But where?'_

He looked around himself. Although he had trouble seeing in the forest as the trees blocked what little light the stars had to offer, he immediately recognized his surroundings.

'_What a stupid question...'_ he thought with mixed feelings.

o o o o o

Sango spoke quietly to Kagome, hoping to calm her down. She could understand her friend – she also felt bad, although Inuyasha wasn't to her what he was to Kagome.

"Kagome, it will be all right," Sango said soothingly, giving her friend's shoulder a light squeeze. "If anything can change his mind now, it's a good night's sleep."

She hoped Kagome wouldn't hear the half-lie – she didn't really think that Inuyasha would change his mind easily. The hanyou had seemed angry – very angry.

The Eiji incident came to her mind. Inuyasha _had_ returned back then, after vanishing for ten or fifteen minutes. _'Maybe he'll return this time as well?'_

She didn't really believe it. Inuyasha's tone – the finality in his voice when he had told them not to follow him – didn't give her much reason for it.

That didn't mean, however, that they'd just let him go. She thought about assuring Kagome of this, but decided against it after a second. Maybe it was better for now to let her hope that he would come back by himself.

Kagome finally broke contact with her. "Thank you, Sango," she sniffed. "I... I..." She drifted off, staring into the darkness.

'_She looks miserable,'_ Sango thought. She got angry with Inuyasha – Kagome cared for him more than any of them, and that's how he treated her.

Kaede suddenly entered her hut. "What's the commotion about?" the old woman asked with an urgent but sleepy voice, looking around the room. "Where is Inuyasha?"

Kagome started to cry again. _'Kagome...'_ Sango thought sympathetically. She looked at her friend, not quite sure what to do. Situations like these had never been her strong suit. Finally, she somewhat reluctantly took Kagome in her arms. Kagome leaned into the embrace and cried against Sango's shoulder, shaking sporadically.

She heard Miroku talking quietly with Kaede, explaining what had happened. The old woman listened silently, every now and then throwing a glance in their direction. Sango followed his story while trying to console Kagome.

"So, Inuyasha left..." Kaede said after Miroku had finished. "And you still don't know what happened between him and Isobe."

Miroku nodded. "Does the name Haranobu tell you something? Inuyasha mentioned it before he left... He seemed to be referring to Isobe."

Kaede seemed to think for a moment. "No, I don't remember anything special. It's just a first name, after all..."

"Maybe Inuyasha just said the wrong name in his haste?" Miroku wondered.

Kaede shrugged. "It looks like Inuyasha intends to go after Isobe." She trailed off for a second. "This reminds me a bit of my first meeting with Inuyasha..."

Sango looked at her, curious what the old woman was about to tell. Almost like Inuyasha, Kaede didn't speak of her past often, mostly only when it was necessary.

But before Kaede could tell anything, Shippou burst into the room. "I can't find him!" the fox demon shouted breathlessly. "Quick, you have to help me find him!"

"Shippou, we can't see a thing out there," Miroku said, turning to Shippou.

Shippou looked at him angrily. "I don't care!"

"Shippou, he's right," Kaede said. "Even if all of you could see in the dark, I doubt it would really help you."

Shippou turned to her, irritation joining his angry frown. "What do you mean?"

"Although you _can_ see, you still lost his track, did you not?"

"That's why I need help!" Shippou responded impatiently. "If we-"

"Child, we don't call it _Inuyasha's Forest_ just because he was pinned to a tree there!" Kaede interrupted Shippou's tantrum. "You won't find him just like that."

Sango noticed Kagome also turned her head towards Kaede, breaking the embrace. "What do you mean?" Kagome asked, wiping at her eyes.

Kaede turned to Kagome. "He knows it like the back of his hand. You can't -"

"I don't care about that stuff!" Shippou interrupted. "We have to stop him!"

Kaede turned to the fox demon again. "Shippou, it won't work. Tomorrow, maybe you can find him together with Sango and Kagome."

"Shippou, she's right," Sango said. "If we go after him with torches, he'll see us coming for miles."

"He'll smell us, anyway!" Shippou retorted.

"Not if we go upwind," Sango answered. "At least, it's our best chance."

"We _will_ have to search for him, won't we?" Kagome asked sadly, interrupting the heated discussion. "He won't just come back tomorrow..."

"We can't be sure about that," Kaede said. "I think it depends on his connection to Isobe."

'_She isn't wrong,'_ Sango thought. However, that didn't give her too much hope, since Inuyasha definitely seemed to hold a grudge against Isobe.

"Shippou, I ask you as well to calm yourself until tomorrow," Miroku said, breaking the silence that had ensued in the room. "With Sango's skill in tracking, Kagome's sixth sense and your nose we should be able to find him. He still didn't seem fully healed, so I doubt he will get too far."

'_So Miroku thinks so, too...'_ Sango thought. Inuyasha's breathing rhythm had been far from normal. Had Miroku noticed that as well - or had his sixth sense shown him something she couldn't see? _'The way he says it makes it sound like he's sure that Inuyasha won't get far.'_

Sango threw a side glance at Kagome, but the girl didn't seem to have noticed. _'I guess that's for the best,'_ Sango thought. _'She has enough to worry about.'_

She turned her attention back to the situation at hand. Shippou finally seemed to waver in his resolve to go after Inuyasha. "If we go after him now, we might even spur him on and completely lose his track," she said, hoping to change Shippou's mind. "It's also possible that he'll return by himself."

Shippou looked at the floor, seemingly undecided, his fists hanging down. Finally, he looked up with a cornered look. "I'll wake you up as soon the sun goes up!" he shouted and sat down.

Kagome sat down next to Shippou and took him her arms. _'I'm sure those two feel the most miserable of all of us...'_ Sango thought, watching the two quiet figures. Inuyasha had become a friend to her, but he wasn't as near to her as he was to Kagome.

Even Shippou seemed to have found something like an older brother in him. Maybe Inuyasha was even a father figure to him? _'Or a bit of both...'_

She was disappointed with Inuyasha that he would so easily discard them and their feelings for him. _'Especially Kagome – I would swear she's important to him.'_

One conclusion was that something more important stood between Inuyasha and Isobe.

"Kaede, about Inuyasha's Forest..." Miroku suddenly said to the old priestess. "What you mentioned might be useful to know in detail."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you," Kaede replied.

The old priestess quietly looked at him, Miroku staring right back. Neither of them averted their eyes.

"We might search for him in the morning, and you seem to consider that a difficult endeavor," Miroku said after a long moment. "It would surely help to hear your experiences of searching for Inuyasha."

When Kaede didn't answer, Miroku continued, "I would at least like to know your reasons. Since the events around Inuyasha's disappearance seem linked to his past, hearing about your recollections might even give us a hint as to what is going on."

Silence ensued in the hut. Kaede had finally broken eye contact with Miroku, and judging from her facial expression, her resolve was wavering.

"I probably shouldn't tell you..." she said finally. She sighed and sat down as fast as her old body allowed. "Inuyasha specifically asked me to keep quiet about it."

Sango sat down as well, curious about what Kaede was saying. "He didn't want us to know what? And why?"

"As is his way, he didn't explain why he wanted me to keep quiet," Kaede answered. "But since he hinged his help on finding the Shikon no Tama on the matter, I didn't question his reasons."

"Finding the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome asked.

"He spoke to me a day after you shattered the jewel," Kaede explained. "And I've kept to our bargain ever since. I hoped that I wouldn't have to break it..."

Silence fell again. After a while, Kaede took a deep breath and continued, "I guess it's best to begin at the start. Most of what I know is from what Kikyou or other villagers told me later – I was but a little girl back then and my memories from this time are of other things..."

For a second, her gaze became unfocused, as if trying to remember something. She shook her head.

"No one knew where Inuyasha came from or when he settled down in the forest. They first spotted him during spring, but we might just have overlooked him. He probably arrived sometime during the winter..."

o o o o o

Inuyasha finally stood in front of the cave. He had found it easily, as if he had been here just the day before.

But he hadn't slept here for almost half a year.

'_For decades,'_ he corrected himself, counting in the time he spent pinned to the Goshinboku. It looked like all the time no one had set foot in it – the entrance was completely overgrown. It had been hard to spot before – now he wouldn't have known the cave was there even standing directly in front of it.

Inuyasha pulled back his hand and hacked through the plants. He peered inside and listened, but none of his senses picked up anything inside. Still cautious, he slipped through the way he'd opened.

It was dark inside; or rather pitch black. Even with his demon eyes he had trouble making out the outlines of the cave. During new moon, he wouldn't have seen his hand if he held it in front of his human eyes. That's how it had always been...

He still remembered sitting here as good as blind, deaf and without sense of smell. Unable to light a fire lest someone find him in his weak human form. He had always told himself that he had taken every precaution possible, but that hadn't made it easier. Already the rustling of the leaves had made sure that he did not fall asleep during these nights.

Inuyasha looked around and took a deep breath through his nose, reacquainting himself with the place. He had always called it his _cave_, although it maybe was not even big enough to deserve that name. Originally, it had been home to a brown bear, and there had been just enough space for her – which made it big enough for him, but still not a cave.

Hungry and tired, Inuyasha sat down. Actually, he felt a bit like he did when he had discovered the cave for the first time. Back then it had been winter, and he had stumbled upon this cave by sheer luck.

His memory started with waking up in a snowstorm, without any recollection of how long he had been lying in that field, how he had gotten there or when he had become this tall. Later he had found out about his memory gap - that he was missing six years - but back then he had only thought that he felt strange – and cold. The storm hadn't even really started by then, or he really might have frozen to death, buried under the snow.

He had shaken the snow off his clothes and set out into what soon became a blizzard that would have frozen hell. Seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, he had picked a direction at random and started to walk. He hadn't been able to make way quickly, at first attributing it to the fact his limbs felt numb. After the first two hours he had noticed that he had wounds all over his body and he just didn't feel them.

His advance had been hindered further by the blizzard's growing strength. The wind had kept changing direction, attacking him randomly. The snow had made it almost impossible to orientate himself, so he had just kept walking straight on. Even once night had fallen, he had continued, feeling that if he sat down, he wouldn't rise again.

Hungry, cold and weak, he had found a little village the next morning, but things hadn't gone well there and he'd had to leave in haste without any rest. After fighting against the snowstorm for another few hours, he finally arrived at a forest. With the last of his strength, he ventured into the forest, but even there the storm had been so strong that Inuyasha was sure that he wouldn't make it when he spotted the entrance to the cave through squinted eyes.

Finally abandoning his idea of finding a human settlement, he entered the cave - and found a huge bear inside, unwilling to give up her home. She put up a hard fight against the greatly weakened Inuyasha, who had recognized the cave as his last chance at survival and attacked.

In the end, his claws had been sharper.

When he had already satisfied his hunger on the dead bear, he had found the reason for her grim fight, pressed into the corner: 3 bear cubs that couldn't have been more than a week or two old. He had considered letting them leave, but knowing that they were doomed to die without their mother, he killed them as well.

Inuyasha grimaced at the memory. _'Their lives for mine, eh?'_

He propped Tetsusaiga against his shoulder and shifted around until he felt as comfortable as possible with a healing stab wound. He would manage - it was here that he perfected sleeping in a sitting position. With a bit rest, he would be as good as new.

He had been worse.

And it hadn't killed him.

After he closed his eyes, he fell asleep almost instantly.

o o o o o

Miroku listened up – he had already found it strange when Kaede had specifically mentioned _Inuyasha's Forest_.

"The way you say _arrived_," Miroku said, "almost makes it sound like Inuyasha spent quite some time hunting after the Shikon no Tama."

"Yes and no," Kaede answered. "Before he started hunting for the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha lived there for almost two years."

"_Before_ he started hunting for the Shikon no Tama? For two years?" Kagome asked in a hushed but surprised voice. "I thought he was after it from the start?"

Kaede shook her head. "No, he was not. Actually, he settled down in the forest a year and a half before Kikyou got the jewel, and after that he still left us alone for months, adding up to about two years before he started going after it."

To Miroku, this was also news. "What did Inuyasha do in the forest? Just live there?"

"Supposedly, yes," Kaede answered. "The first one to see him was Masuto, a little boy a few years older than me. Ever since this village was established, the parents had forbidden their children to play in the forest – always inhabited by wild animals and youkai – and naturally, every now and then, someone ignored the rule and ventured into the forest, and one of those was Masuto... He can't have been too deep in the forest, because his parents didn't even notice his disappearance... until he came back, crying that a giant demon had threatened to eat him. You can imagine the shock he gave his parents."

Miroku could. This sounded like something Inuyasha would do, and the hanyou would do a thorough job to make sure that the child didn't bother him again. For all he knew, Inuyasha might have chased after the boy until he reached the village.

"Masuto's parents talked Kikyou into looking into the matter, though she usually left the forest alone," Kaede continued. "She always said that for every demon she killed, another two turned up. However, other villagers were also worried about their children, so she gave in. A few villagers offered to join her, but she refused. Though she was barely fourteen back then, she was already very accomplished with the bow and used to handling things on her own. I still have a faint memory of her walking off into the forest by herself – my big sister..." Kaede gave a half-smile. "I was very afraid for her."

Miroku couldn't help but think that Kaede seemed happy telling them her story. Her earlier reluctance was all but washed away. Was she glad that she could finally share her secret, or was it just that she was talking of happier memories of the sister she lost early, and so cruelly got back? Miroku listened closely, curious as to how the tale would continue.

Kagome interrupted, however. "She was slaying demons already at fourteen? When did Kikyou start with her training? Why did she even become a miko?"

After a second, Kaede shook her head. "That I cannot tell you. However, I think that her reasons for learning how to use her spiritual powers weren't much different from your own."

Miroku looked at Kagome – she didn't look like she understood the answer, but she also looked a bit unsettled. She asked the old priestess again, but Kaede refused to say any more on the matter, and turned back to the tale that she had been telling.

"So, Kikyou went into the forest. What exactly transpired there, only Inuyasha or... Kikyou could tell you. Only after many long hours she finally returned. When we caught sight of her, the whole village hastened to meet her. Glad that she was alive, we welcomed her back and asked how the battle had turned out."

Miroku saw Kagome clench her fingers nervously. Sango, on the other hand, seemed caught up in the tale. _'I guess she can relate to setting out to hunt a demon...'_

"To our disappointment," Kaede continued, "Kikyou told us that there had been no battle. '_The demon will not attack us_,' she said, '_and in return we will not harm him. Inuyasha and his forest are off bounds._'" Kaede had changed her voice over the last sentences; Miroku was startled by how much she suddenly sounded like Kikyou, from the way of speaking to the tone of her voice.

Kaede took a deep breath and continued in her usual voice, "In the following weeks, an uneasy atmosphere dominated the village – some people didn't believe Kikyou, and the rumor spread that she had just been too weak to defeat the demon and that he was surely strong and terrible. But after some time it sank into their heads that no demon had come to slaughter the village and no children had disappeared during the night, and the villagers slowly began to believe Kikyou's story and returned to their usual routine of the day.

"It turned out to be quite advantageous to us; the occasional demon attacks from the forest all but ceased – Inuyasha not only left us in peace, but also kept more aggressive demons out of his forest. Some wondered if that was what Kikyou had been planning from the start, but she never gave a hint about anything concerning Inuyasha and her meeting with him. We didn't know anything about him but his name."

Miroku didn't know Kikyou too well, but she was definitely a canny person. It didn't seem farfetched that she would leave the forest to Inuyasha so he would look after it for her. She seemed to have been quite secretive about it afterwards. _'Maybe to keep rumors from spreading?'_

"After a few months, everyone called it _Inuyasha's Forest_," Kaede went on. "The rights of both sides became established through practice – we would still enter the outskirts of the forest when we needed wood, or occasionally to hunt. A few people ventured deeper into the forest, some even with gifts to what they deemed the village's protector, but they never found him. After a while, the villagers left him alone when he didn't show any interest in presenting himself. Few questioned his existence, though – beside having Kikyou's word, the people who returned from the deeper parts of the forest all told that they had felt like they were followed and observed. It still might have been their imagination, but it served to convince most of Inuyasha's existence."

Kaede stopped and sighed. "After a while, we learned of what might have been the reason for Inuyasha's isolation. We started getting an unusual amount of travelers after some time, and a few opened their mouths too wide over a jug of sake... Apparently, word of Inuyasha had spread. The details differed with each telling: one time he was guarding a treasure, another time a princess had disappeared somewhere in Japan and was surely held captive by the demon of the forest... You get the idea. I think one or two of our neighboring villages did their part to spread the rumor, attracting even more adventurers."

Kagome gulped. "Did they... did they go after Inuyasha? Didn't you help him?"

Kaede laughed a humorless laugh. "Oh, we tried to help him. Pretty soon, the village had become openly hostile to strangers, suspecting anyone of trying to harm their village's guardian. It didn't help much, though – the forest was big and could be entered from any direction. As I said, there were a few villages that weren't as happy with Inuyasha as we were and welcomed those adventurers with open arms."

"But why?" Kagome asked. "Surely, it also benefited them that Inuyasha kept youkai out of the forest?"

Kaede shrugged. "I don't know. Prejudices against youkai, I guess. We also had a miko to give us a sense of safety."

Miroku mentally nodded. He still remembered how the people in the mining village had treated them ten days ago. Some fears sat very deep, sometimes surviving decades. "What happened?"

"Not all that much," Kaede answered. "At least, not that we noticed. Most of the hunters returned empty-handed without even catching a glimpse of Inuyasha. There were rumors, however, that some of them vanished in the forest and were never seen again. Kikyou went into the forest a few times, but for what or if she even met him, I do not know.

"Anyway, the months passed, another winter came and went. A few times, very strange sounds could be heard from the forest, as if great battle was raging in its depths. Maybe it was when one of the hunters really found him, or when he was fighting another youkai. But other than that, there's not much special to mention about this time."

"Kaede, how old was Inuyasha?" Sango asked, an uneasy expression on her face. "Or rather… how old did he look like?"

Miroku wondered why Sango asked that question. Inuyasha had told them that he had been born sixty-five years ago, during his fight with the dog demon Akahito, so Inuyasha was bound to be about thirteen years old during Kaede's story.

Kaede shrugged. "I don't know. Inuyasha never showed himself – most of us imagined him as some human-looking adult, strong and tall. The girls used to fantasize about how handsome he might be… Masuto could probably have told you, since he saw him once, but he has died a few years ago. His descriptions of Inuyasha had always been very inaccurate, though. Kikyou… should be able to tell you."

Miroku noticed that Kaede hesitated at the mention of her sister. She had done so before when Kikyou hadn't been directly related to her story. _'I guess it's hard talking about how she had been and thinking of what she has become.'_

"Thank you for telling us, Kaede," Kagome said and bowed curtly. Had she noticed as well? "We really appreciate it."

Kaede nodded. After another second she continued, "The next autumn, roughly a year and a half after Inuyasha's arrival, the Shikon no Tama was given to Kikyou. Pretty soon, the youkai attacks started, causing quite some unrest. A few villagers even left, but most had no place to go to and placed their trust in Kikyou and Inuyasha to keep them save from harm."

"Had she ever thought of leaving the village?" Miroku asked; the wandering life wasn't too hard on those with spiritual abilities.

"No, she hadn't," Kaede said with a shake of her head. "There were a few villagers who wanted Kikyou to leave with the cursed jewel, but she said that youkai would start looking for her at this village, and that she would leave them without protection. We had to accept that we were involved just like Kikyou."

'_That's a way to put it…'_ Miroku thought. He wondered what Kikyou's reasons had been for accepting the jewel. Surely she had seen what a burden she had not only placed on her own shoulders, but also on the village?

"Some wanted her to get rid of it or give it to someone else, but she would have none of it," Kaede continued. "Kikyou's popularity noticed quite a drop, especially in the first months, but over time we got used to the youkai attacks. A common enemy forged us together, and Kikyou never let anyone come to harm. The next winter passed with Kikyou relentlessly defending the village... The forest border was still safe thanks to Inuyasha, at least making it a bit easier; I guess he also had to fight more enemies those days. After a while, a sense of normality had once again returned to the village.

"However, sometime during spring, Inuyasha paid the village a visit. Kikyou must have sensed his approach rather late – I was with her and she rushed for the forest all of a sudden. I ran after her, falling behind more and more, but she stopped outside the village. A few people had joined Kikyou – seeing her running was unusual, she usually sensed danger long before it arrived. We nervously asked her what was wrong, when suddenly someone stepped out of the forest."

"Inuyasha," Kagome said.

Kaede nodded. "We didn't know it was him, though. If his ears hadn't been so hard to overlook, we would probably have thought he was a human boy who had lost his way in the forest, but we didn't get time to wonder about him. _'Welcome to our village,'_ Kikyou said very formally when he was halfway between us and the forest. _'How can we be of service, Inuyasha?'_

"You can imagine our surprise when we found out that our guardian was, instead of a powerful youkai, a boy looking barely sixteen, with manners to match - _'Keh,'_ was the first word we ever heard out of his mouth... Many villagers cheered nonetheless, finally meeting their guardian face to face. I looked at Kikyou, however, and couldn't help but notice that her polite smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Inuyasha wasted no time on formalities and demanded the Shikon no Tama be given to him. Kikyou didn't show any surprise – unlike the rest of us – and calmly asked what he intended to use it for. He said it was none of her business, to what Kikyou replied that she was sorry, but she couldn't give the jewel to him. Of course, Inuyasha wouldn't take no for an answer, and tried to take it by force.

"We saw then that Inuyasha definitely wasn't an ordinary boy; he rushed at us at an incredible speed. Kikyou responded just as quickly - with a small gesture, she erected a barrier that threw him back ten or fifteen meters. Before he even landed, she stepped through it to face Inuyasha and quickly fired two arrows at him, but he used his inhuman speed to evade them, and attacked again.

"The fight took longer than usual for Kikyou; Inuyasha held out pretty long. But Kikyou was at the apex of her power and had lots of experience fighting demons, whereas Inuyasha had probably never fought a miko before. In the end, Inuyasha's red jacket was torn at numerous places, bearing testimony for the arrows he had dodged at hair's breadth, with a few shafts pierced into his body. He stopped, breathing heavily. Kikyou also lowered her bow and regarded him with a neutral face. After a second, she told him that she hadn't purified him as thanks for all the help he had done. For an instant, he looked like he would go at her once more, but then he retreated into the forest."

'_That must have been pretty humiliating for him,'_ Miroku thought. _'I can't imagine Inuyasha sitting still after something like that.'_

"That was the first of many encounters between the two," Kaede said. "He was back the next day, with both his clothes and his body seemingly mended, again demanding the Shikon no Tama. This time he surprised Kikyou with his blood claws and managed to wound Kikyou's leg. He used the opportunity to rush past her to get to the jewel shrine, on the way sneering that he had spared her life to pay back her hospitality. However, he found out that Kikyou had taken the jewel with her, foiling his plan, and escaped again."

Kaede sighed. "To recount all their battles would take too much time. We all felt betrayed by Inuyasha, now that we had lost our only ally. Kikyou tried a couple of times to find him in the forest, but unless he used the opportunity to ambush her, she couldn't find him. It turned out to be a stalemate – Inuyasha couldn't get past her to get the Shikon no Tama, while Kikyou couldn't drive him way."

'_It couldn't have been that easy, though,'_ Miroku thought. _'If those two went all out, someone would have died... They must have been holding back. What was the connection between them during these two years?'_ Maybe they had been seeing each other before the Shikon no Tama was given to Kikyou? But why would Inuyasha attack all of a sudden, in that case?

"The rest of the story, we all know, I guess," Kaede said. "Kikyou and Inuyasha, despite, or maybe even because of their enmity, got to know each other. Onigumo, jealous, offered his body to youkai and became Naraku, the cause of their downfall. He tricked them into turning on other, and with her last strength, Kikyou sealed Inuyasha to the Goshinboku. The forest kept Inuyasha's name, since there was no way to remove him, so powerful was the seal. Until, fifty years later, a girl from the future would be able to pull out the arrow..." Kaede had turned her head to look at Kagome during her last words.

Silence filled the room now that Kaede had ended. Miroku looked around – Kagome had averted her eyes and was stroking Shippou's head; the little fox demon had fallen asleep sometime during Kaede's tale. Sango seemed to be in thought, staring into the burned down fire. Miroku felt slightly disappointed, though – the tale had been interesting, but he couldn't remember any clue that would help them find Inuyasha. He waited a bit, and then asked, "So, do you have any tips for searching Inuyasha?"

Kaede reluctantly shook her head. "I think your best hope is for Inuyasha to return tomorrow," she said, looking at the sleeping Shippou as if to make sure he was asleep. "Maybe I didn't really point it out, but he was hunted by both humans and youkai in that forest, for the two years he lived there. He didn't name it Inuyasha's Forest; he _made_ it Inuyasha's Forest. Not even Kikyou was able to find him or drive him out. I think your chances of finding him are slim if he doesn't want to be found."

Again, a silence ensued in the room. "Well, I guess I'll return to Hisa," Kaede finally said, rising up carefully, and went to leave. "Try to get a bit sleep."

Miroku stared after Kaede, wondering why she left so suddenly. _'Maybe she's tired?'_

"Well, that was an interesting tale," Sango said after a while. "I had no idea Inuyasha _lived_ here."

"It's sad, though," Kagome said quietly. "Imagine living completely on your own for two years, without seeing anyone."

"There are priests that choose the life of solitude," Miroku said.

"But they're not fifteen year old teenagers," Sango answered angrily.

"No, they're not," Miroku agreed quickly.

Sango grimaced. "I wouldn't want to... live all alone. Especially as some kind of fair game."

Miroku nodded again. It seemed he had unwittingly hit a sore spot. "So, what do you think?" he said awkwardly. "Should we search for Inuyasha tomorrow?"

Kagome gulped. "I... don't know."

"I think we should," Sango said, looking encouragingly at Kagome. "Though I respect Kaede's opinion, I think we can find him together. We can fly with Kirara, Shippou can smell him, I'm not bad at tracking, and Kagome can probably even sense him." She looked hopefully at her friend.

'_And what about me?'_ Miroku thought, but kept his thoughts to himself for now.

"Only at close range," Kagome said quietly. "It seems that even Kikyou couldn't sense him from far away..."

"Don't worry too much," Sango said to Kagome. "It'll work out, you'll see."

Kagome turned away, wiping at her eyes. "I think I'll... go to sleep." She stood up and walked into the other room.

* * *

All right, that's it. Again, if you're interested in **beta-reading**, please drop me an E-Mail! If you missed it, I asked for one right at the start. :) Go read it now!

So, this chapter was mostly about shedding some light into Inuyasha's past. You should now know most of what Inuyasha remembers. That's not all there is to know, of course. :) I tried a more narrative style this time instead of the traditional flashback, and I think I like it. What do you think about it?

I'll be quicker with the next chapter, I've a good part finished already. Don't expect no wonders, though! I've kinda stopped writing on that book I told you about, since I would have to invest a lot more time than in fanfiction. Maybe I'll take a year off after I finish studying or something like that… Anyway, I guess that's good news to you. ;)

Also, I'd like to make a statement concerning 'collisions' with the manga and the anime. I started writing this story before Movie Nr. 2 came out, and I think the anime was around episode 80. I'm aware that some characters got names in the meantime and that some details were shed on Inuyasha's past (supposedly especially in Movie Nr. 3, which I haven't seen yet), and that I'm in contradiction to some of them. However, I can't change my plot! As I see it, my story takes a turn after Inuyasha kills the dragon Ryuukotsusei – I'll accept every critique that involves something from this part of Takahashi's story, but I'll have to ignore the rest of it. Call this story AU if you want to. ;) But really, doesn't every story take a turn somewhere?

AND about Inuyasha's father, as far as I know, Inutaisho means 'Leader of the Dogs' or something like that. Sounds more like a title or acquired name to me, but not something a wife would call her husband. I could be wrong – I don't speak Japanese – but if he was really named Inutaisho by his overbearing parents right after he first saw the light of day, I have yet to see proof for it. It's up to discussion – well, you know my stance on the subject. :)

**Reviews revisited:**

_Remora29_ – Thanks a lot for your nice review! You gave me a thumbs-up for a lot of my ideas; I'm glad that you can see things happening as they did, and also that you _don't_ like some of the characters' actions but still find them plausible. (That's what I wanted to achieve!) I also liked you point concerning the killing of demons vs. the killing of humans, that's something I always thought to have an impact on Inuyasha.

_Varethane_ – Well, about my book – see above. ;) I guess you're a bit right with most characters being angry, however I think that some are already getting over it.

_Petpeeves12_ – Yes, there might be something to your theory. ;)

_Holly_ – Great you're still reading this. :) I guess for once you did at least learn things about Inuyasha's past. :) There's more to come! I haven't really been able to point it out yet, but Inuyasha doesn't remember additional details. The next chapter should explain that, however.

_Tragedy Lover_ – How long it will take to finish this story? I don't want to think about it:) I think I've answered some of your wishes with this chapter, since it was almost exclusively about Inuyasha's past. Hope you liked it! Your observations in your second review were pretty much spot on – but don't tell anyone. ;) I tried to write you an E-Mail, but it seems I couldn't get through your spamfilter.

_Kraffin_ – Well, I must say that I can follow your thoughts about 'Inuyasha the playboy punk'… I'm glad that a 'traditional' story without sharks with freakin' lasers attached to their heads can still catch someone's interest. :)

_Locainlove_ – I'm glad that you can follow Inuyasha's actions. I think he'll think about his decisions later, but right now he's angry. I'm still a bit undecided what to do exactly with Miroku – I've got two good ideas that would fit into the plot, but I'm still a bit undecided. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

_Seeker_ – An interesting question, one that I hadn't really given thought yet. Can you tone down 'muscle memory'? I did Judo for a few years, and have to agree that martial art sneaks its way into your life. I'm not really advanced, though – still got a Kyu – so I don't know how it is for a master. The only hint speaking for my version is that in standard Kung-Fu or Samurai movies great masters can live 'undercover' without anyone guessing their incredible skill. (Seen 'Kung Fu Hustle'? There were masters tricked by even greater masters ;)) If that can really work, though – no idea. Have you maybe heard something in the meantime?

_Pic_ – About Kagome's mother, I think she's more of a side character in the original story, and if she does say something, it's most often some kind of slapstick humor. I'm glad that my try at an explanation was sensible for you. :) Your fear about me ending this story is something I've given thought, you can believe me. When I started writing, I had no idea it would turn out this long – it was like 'They go to the village, then they meet Eiji, then to Kaede's and fight Isobe and after a day or two Inuyasha wakes up feeling angry…'. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? ;)  
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't feel disrespectful if I stopped writing this story. I'm writing for fun, and if it wouldn't be fun one day, why should I continue? It takes a lot of time to write this story, too, and I'm not being paid or anything like it. Yes, I don't like to disappoint a lot of people, but what do they do for me besides taking 5 minutes to drop me a nice review? I spend like 50 to 150 hours on each chapter. Heck, I hope I can find a beta reader willing to spend just 2 or 3 hours on it! I really don't feel like _I'm_ in anyone's debt.  
However, this must sound pretty awful. :) To ease your worries, I spend most of my writing time on this story, it IS fun and so far I have no doubts about continuing it – unlike about my 'real book'. I've given this story a lot of thought and contemplation, and I want to see how it works out exactly, too. :)

_InuKratosStan_ – He, someone telling me I've got Kagome in character. That made my day. :) I don't feel like I really got her right, I just can't figure her out sometimes. But well, maybe I haven't got her too wrong with luck and gut feeling. :) But about Inuyasha, I have not much problems anticipating his reactions, it also seems to show in your review. I'm glad he's finally back from the dead, since it was a bit boring without him. ;)

_Valdimarian_ – Thanks for your observations, but I think I've already answered the first ones in my Authors Notes. You gotta live with 1-3. :) About your last point, yes Inuyasha and Kagome had an agreement – that she wouldn't sit him as long as he would be reasonable. I'm pretty sure the two would disagree about what exactly is 'being reasonable', but there you go. :)


	28. Chapter 27: Wherever I may roam

**Settle the Score**  
_by Chri_

**December 8th, 2008: **Chapter completed.  
**January 17th, 2009: **Last update.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Metallica_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _and _JMaxwell _for beta-reading. Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 27**

_...and my ties are severed clean  
The less I have the more I gain  
Off the beaten path I reign_

_**Wherever I may roam**_

True to his promise, Shippou woke them up at the crack of dawn. "Wake up already!" he shouted impatiently.

Everybody rose from their slumber and had a quick breakfast under Shippou's impatient glare.

Kagome sadly looked around the room – she had hoped that Inuyasha would really come back on his own. Did this mean he truly wanted to part ways with them; just like that? '_After all we've been through together?'_

No one spoke much – it wasn't necessary. Kagome knew that they all thought the same, could _feel_ the unspoken agreement to go after Inuyasha.

They set off as soon as they finished. They all flew with Kirara, Shippou directing them to the place where he had lost Inuyasha's trail.

Kagome felt anxious – what would she tell Inuyasha if they found him? Would he listen to her? He had been so angry, and she didn't think that his anger had just vanished overnight.

What would she do if he repeated his parting words? '_I don't want to see you again.'_ Could she take them another time?

After a short ride, they arrived at the edge of the forest. Kirara landed and they got off. Shippou immediately showed them where Inuyasha's trail ended, and then looked up to them hopefully.

Kagome took a look around, but couldn't make out anything special; even her sixth sense didn't tell her anything. To her it looked like a normal part of the forest, with no clues of Inuyasha whatsoever. She turned to Miroku and Sango – maybe they, with their experience, had more luck?

Sango had already started to investigate the ground. After a short while, she was pretty sure that Inuyasha had jumped up a tree. With Shippou's help, after a while she found the place where he had gotten down again.

"He must have gone in this direction," Sango explained, pointing into the forest.

'_Wow…'_ Kagome thought. She turned to Miroku, but the monk looked like he also had no clue how Sango came to that conclusion.

Sango seemed pretty sure, though, so they followed her deeper into the forest. Every now and then, Sango would stop to investigate the ground. To Kagome it always just looked like regular forest earth. Even after Sango explained a few of her observations, Kagome wasn't all that convinced. To her it seemed that the youkai huntress relied on a lot of guesswork and coincidences.

Sango must have caught her doubtful look. "Don't worry, Kagome, it works," she said with a small smile.

Shippou nodded. "I can smell Inuyasha, even if it's faint."

That served to convince Kagome. They had to backtrack a few times, with Sango becoming increasingly tense. She spent more times on her doubtful clues, double-checking with Shippou and his sense of smell, further slowing their progress.

"He knows what he's doing…" Sango muttered, bent over another twig. She looked around, still kneeling, wearing a worried expression.

Kagome and Miroku shared another uncertain look.

"Sango, maybe we should just fly over the forest?" Miroku finally asked in a neutral tone, nodding at Kirara.

"That might be our only choice…" Sango replied. "I think Inuyasha was heading for the river."

She stood up and continued.

"Can you track him if he went through the river?" Miroku asked, following her.

Sango shook her head. "As good as impossible. I never knew he could be so sneaky…"

The youkai huntress led them further through the woods. Shortly after, they could already hear the noise of the river Sango had predicted.

Before long, they had to stop at a small cliff that the river had cut into the ground.

"There you go…" Sango said, sounding discouraged. "Shippou?"

"His smell is very faint..." Shippou answered sadly. "I don't think I would have even found this place without your help."

Sango turned to Kagome and Miroku. "Do you maybe… feel anything?"

Kagome looked left and right. She couldn't make out anything special in either direction. "No," she finally said. "Maybe if Inuyasha had taken a jewel shard…"

When she looked questioningly to Miroku, the monk shook his head. "Nothing unusual," he said.

"We could guess and try to catch up with Kirara's help, but I don't think we'll have much luck." Sango sighed. "He could be anywhere and has probably already left the forest behind."

"Didn't he…" Shippou said uncertainly. "Didn't he say he wanted to search for Hachiro?"

"For Haranobu, but I guess he meant him," Miroku said.

"Which way is the mining village?" Shippou asked.

Sango pointed ahead, across the river. "Do you think we should try our luck there?"

"Isobe followed us from there..." Miroku said. "Didn't he say that he would participate at the market? That he was there a few days too early?"

Sango nodded. "It's our best clue... And it's Inuyasha's best clue, as well. He's bound to head there."

Kagome looked from one to the other. "What happened to searching for Inuyasha _here_?"

Sango looked at her with a sad expression. "I thought that I... that we... could track Inuyasha. But we hardly made it here. We're bound to lose his trail, and even if we didn't we're too slow. All the while he's rapidly increasing his head start."

"But we know where he's heading!" Kagome remarked. "Doesn't that help?"

Sango shook her head. "From what I've seen so far, I'm sure that Inuyasha will travel off the beaten track. The one thing we know is his destination... at least for now. If we take too long dallying around trying to track him, and miss him there..."

Kagome gulped. "Then... we shouldn't waste time," she said, resolution returning to her voice. She looked across the river. "We're heading back to the mining village."

o o o o o

_I stumble onwards, trying to ignore the cold wind and the snow. I've lost all feeling in my toes, but continuing is the only option. A particularly nasty gust blows into my face, forcing me to close my eyes. I keep them shut – I can't see a thing, anyway. To a cheerless rhythm, I put one foot in front of the other._

_Again._

_And again._

_After a few minutes, I run into something. Surprised, I open my eyes and find the stone I hit my feet on. Lacking the motivation to kick it aside, I look up again and continue._

_And find myself at the outskirts of a small village. For a second, I stare at it unbelievingly._

"_I'm saved!" I mumble to myself, hoarsely, and stumble towards the first house. "I'm saved…"_

_I rap on the door as soon as I reach it. After a short while, the door opens, and I stare at the girl in the doorway in surprise. "Kagome?" She looks furious. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Did you try to run away, eh?" Kagome asks coldly._

"_What...? No! I don't know how I got here!"_

"_Osuwari!" she shouts angrily, and I crash to the ground. "Don't lie! If I hear one more word, I'll sit you until you beg me to stop!"_

"_Kagome, really ...!"_

"_Osuwari!"_

"_Dammit, that hurts! Kagome, you -"_

"_Osuwari! Osuwari! OSUWARI!"_

_Her voice has become thunderous, the force pulling me to the ground growing rapidly with each repetition of her command. Suddenly, I know I'm going to die and that nothing in the world can change it._

Inuyasha awoke with a start, gasping for air. "What the –"

He looked around, recognizing his surroundings. He still sat in his cave. "Damn..." he muttered, reaching for his neck that still hurt, although it had only been a dream. His heart was racing like someone had just tried to kill him – and been about to succeed.

'_What a stupid nightmare...'_ Inuyasha told himself, trying to calm himself. Why should he be frightened of Kagome? She wouldn't sit him like that, would she? She had _promised_ him she wouldn't sit him just like that after they had met Eiji.

Inuyasha felt his temper rise. "As if her promises meant anything!" he swore under his breath.

With a grunt, he arose and stretched. His chest seemed better – it was still sore, but it was easier to breathe. Inuyasha opened his jacket and took a look. The wound was just within the field of his vision when he strained his neck, near his heart. From the outside it didn't look bad - only a scar was visible. It would vanish soon, like all the others.

Inuyasha tied up his jacket again, convinced that it couldn't be too bad behind the scar, either. Had the sword missed his heart? Or maybe just grazed the vital organ? Judging from how his enemies usually reacted to a heart wound, he should be dead if Haranobu's sword had really hit.

Inuyasha bristled at the thought. He couldn't remember the fight well, only bits and pieces – until the time when Kagome had used her spell and he had crashed to the ground. From then, every single second had been burned into his mind. He had lain there, _knowing_ that he was as good as dead, counting the steps Haranobu needed to reach him.

"Damn!" Inuyasha grunted, shaking himself. Why had he been sure that Haranobu would attack him? Was Haranobu even the guy's name? Hadn't he introduced himself as Hachiro? But why would he look exactly like the man from his memory? Smell like he imagined him to smell? Could that be a coincidence?

Inuyasha heard something outside, snapping him back to reality. He noticed that he stood pressed against the cave wall. He was terrified – almost sick from fear. He gulped, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Dammit!" he whispered, forcibly pushing himself away from the wall. Why would he be afraid of Haranobu... Hachiro... whatever! "I'm _not_ afraid of the bastard!" he said out loud. But what if it had been him? Had he just heard him?

He _was_ afraid. Tetsusaiga was already in his hands, drawn and transformed. With a jerk he stormed out of the cave and crouched into a battle stance, looking around.

He couldn't see anyone outside, and the only scents in the vicinity were of forest animals. Had he only heard one of those? Unconvinced, he started looking for something unusual, moving as quietly as possible.

After he had patrolled the immediate vicinity, he still hadn't found anything. Yet he continued for another few minutes, double-checking on all fours to better sniff the ground.

"Damn," Inuyasha said quietly after he finally stopped to search. '_What the heck is wrong with me? Just a snapping twig - and I go all crazy!'_

Reluctantly, he sheathed Tetsusaiga and walked back to the cave. He felt a bit better, but far from calm. There was something about Haranobu that made the hairs on his neck stand. And he couldn't fucking remember what – but there had to be something.

Inuyasha went into the cave and sat down. Wiping the sweat from his face, he wondered what he should do now. This was the first clue about his missing years that he had ever found. He couldn't just let it go - could he? Some part of him screamed to simply _run_...

'_If I'm going after him, I have no idea of what I'm getting into,'_ Inuyasha tried to think rationally. '_But when has that ever stopped me?'_

He couldn't abandon this chance to finally find out about those years just because of a queasy feeling and run away like a coward. Where would he run to, even? Wherever he went, rumors of the hanyou would spread quickly. When he had settled down in this forest, it had only taken a few weeks for the first would-be youkai hunter to go after him. Likely to get revenge...

This returned his thoughts to his strange dream. It had been just like his search for shelter in that blizzard. He had finally found a village and knocked on the door. Just that instead of a man that would attack him, Kagome had opened. Why would she sit him, though?

'_Why should she sit me when I'm fighting Haranobu?'_ Inuyasha thought angrily. '_But she did! Sit me until I beg her to stop... She just might do that.'_

Inuyasha shook himself. He wouldn't let that happen. He would go after Haranobu, and Kagome could search for her fucking jewel without him to save her sorry ass.

Inuyasha stood up and stepped outside the cave, seething with anger. '_Osuwari!'_ He could almost hear it – and Haranobu's steps getting closer, and closer, and closer.

Not again.

Never again.

Seizing the moment, Inuyasha took off into the forest.

o o o o o

Akahito transformed a split-second after Okakura. The young dog demon wondered why – surely their gigantic form would have been much more intimidating. But he had already learned that Okakura preferred to do things the unusual way. '_And one fact you can't deny is that he's one of the oldest dog demons around. And certainly the most active of those old geezers.'_

Settled into their human forms, Okakura and Akahito locked eyes with each other. "And now?" Akahito asked, half curiously, half mockingly.

"Now we pay a little visit," Okakura answered with a winning smile.

'_Well, another meeting,'_ Akahito thought. For the last days, they had chased through half of Japan on the search for - '_Yes, for what exactly? Allies and information, I guess...'_

Okakura seemed to know demons everywhere, and most of them owed the old youkai a favor or two. Demons in all kind of positions – Okakura had introduced him to an important cat demon lord, to the ex-leader of a practically vanquished wolf-demon tribe as well as to a lowly servant of an already lowly frog demon.

All of Okakura's acquaintances had greeted them ever so politely and treated even Akahito with respect. None of them had looked too pleased to see them. If Akahito had learned one thing on this trip, it was to not ask the old demon for help unless it was inevitable.

Lord Sesshoumaru had to be pressed if he relied on Okakura.

"Who are we meeting this time?" Akahito asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. All he was ever doing was standing alongside while Okakura talked with his contacts. Sometimes, he wasn't even allowed to listen.

"I don't know yet," Okakura answered mystically. "Maybe an opportunity will present itself."

Akahito shrugged. It was annoying to always be left in the dark, but he was getting used to it. "How far is it?"

"About six kilometers."

"That should only take a few minutes," Akahito said and already wanted to start, but Okakura held him back.

"We're going to _walk_," the old dog demon said in that friendly tone of his that left no room for argument.

Akahito goggled at Okakura. "But that will take forever!"

"You're overestimating the distance." Okakura twinkled. "It shouldn't take much more than an hour. Come on, let's go."

They both set out through the forest. Akahito wondered why they hadn't simply continued racing over it. Did Okakura want to be stealthy? Maybe his quarry would hide otherwise?

The two went on for some time without speaking, a silent shadow gliding through the forest without the slightest noise – and a very noisy Okakura leading the way.

'_What's with him?'_ Akahito wondered after some time. Even some _humans_ were quieter than him. But he chose not to inquire about it; Okakura would just use the chance to tease or puzzle him again. The old demon surely had a reason – or maybe two or three.

After a while, Okakura turned his head around to him. A small grin spread over his face. "You should also make a bit more noise..."

"Why?" Akahito replied suspiciously.

"We don't want to draw too much attention to the fact that we are youkai," Okakura answered, still grinning.

Akahito wondered what that meant. Almost every youkai would immediately recognize that they were youkai as well. Only...

"Humans!" Akahito shouted. "Are we visiting humans?"

"I see you're starting to use your brain," Okakura joked. "Yes, we are. The last of my friends we visited said something was fishy with them, so we're going to check."

Akahito nodded and tried his best to run like a weak, little _human_. He felt stupid and was sure he looked it, too, but knew better than to disagree with Okakura. And he had to give it to him – Okakura _really_ walked like a human.

Strange, how something so unskillful could become a skill...

"Okakura, why are you doing this?" Akahito asked on a whim.

"Because I don't want to scare the humans?" Okakura asked with a sarcastic undertone.

Akahito shook his head. "No, I mean everything. Did Lord Sesshoumaru really ask you for help? I would like to know why... why I'm running through the forest like a human."

"No, Lord Sesshoumaru didn't ask me," Okakura answered after a while. He turned his head forward again. "I offered him my help as soon as I heard about everything."

"Just like that?" Akahito asked incredulously. For as long as he knew Okakura, the old demon had only gone out of his way to _collect_ a debt. If someone needed a favor, they came to him.

Okakura waited a moment with his answer. "No," he finally said. "There's a little secret Lord Sesshoumaru's been keeping for ages... and he has promised to tell me after the war is over."

Akahito was curious now. "A secret? About what?"

"Incidentally," Okakura said, "it has to do with Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" Akahito asked angrily. '_Why is everyone crazy about the damn hanyou?' _Okakura would even involve himself in a war for the mongrel?

Okakura laughed. "You wouldn't know it, but the circumstances of Inuyasha's birth were most exceptional."

"I bet they were," Akahito sneered.

"I take it you have heard about Lord Seibunishi?" Okakura asked. "The father of Lord Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha?"

Akahito agreed. "My parents told me about him. He died in the fight against a dragon, didn't he?"

"Well, he died from the wounds of this fight, but that's practically already the end of the story," Okakura said with a hint of regret in his voice. "Let's begin at the start. Lord Seibunishi... The dog demons – no, the western lands – have never had a leader like him, and probably never will again. He held his territory in a firm grip. Very firm, yet not so hard that anything would crumble. Lord Seibunishi had, for a man of his strength, a sensitivity that surprised me sometimes."

"Was he... your friend?" Akahito asked.

"Lord Seibunishi, my friend?" Okakura laughed. "That's a nice one..."

Akahito looked confused, not getting the joke. "What's so funny about it?"

"You're confusing sensitivity with sympathy," Okakura said. "Lord Seibunishi could be, especially in matters concerning his territory, exceptionally cruel. But, he knew how to _apply_ power... He was intelligent, cunning, strong, and adept – everything you could wish for of a leader. And as they say, in great heights the air gets thinner... Lord Seibunishi didn't have many people to confide in, and he had even fewer friends. I definitely was no friend to him."

Akahito was surprised to hear Okakura talking like this about another youkai, almost as if he were admiring, or envying him. Had the previous leader really been that great? His parents hadn't told him too much about Lord Seibunishi.

"And that's where things get mysterious," Okakura continued. "Why would this great leader, in his best years, with a prospering territory and a son to inherit it all – why would he, all of a sudden, risk it all and marry a human woman?" The old demon looked questioningly at Akahito.

There was a moment of silence. '_Insanity,'_ was the first answer that came to Akahito's mind, but he didn't dare speak it. "Love...?" he finally asked in an uncertain voice.

Okakura laughed again. "That's what he told the rest of us. He acted like it, too – only, I wonder if it was any more than an act. Why would Lord Seibunishi, of sound mind, even if he really fell in love, marry the woman? He must have known that she would _never_ be accepted. A human woman, the Lady of the Western Lands? Just the thought of it is ludicrous! Even if he knocked her up with a hanyou brat, why should he marry and officially recognize them?"

"I... don't know," Akahito answered. "But you have an idea?"

Okakura shook his head. "No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't make sense. And that's what makes me suspicious – Lord Seibunishi was a man of reason. There must be a _big_ reason for him to make a move like this. Sadly, he is no longer around to unravel his motives. I've tried to find out more about this mystery in the last few decades, but I couldn't uncover more than trifles. One of my leads - even if it only deserves that name because it's the best I have - is an unusual incident that took place some time before Inuyasha was born. Both Lord Seibunishi and Lord Sesshoumaru have always refused to talk about it."

"And Lord Sesshoumaru will tell you if you help him?" Akahito asked.

Okakura nodded. "Exactly."

"Which... incident are you talking about?" Akahito asked curiously.

"I'm talking of a visit from Naho the Seer. One of the few she ever made... Waltzed into the hall, just like that. Before she could say anything, Lord Seibunishi had everyone thrown out of the room – or, better said, before anyone could _hear_ what she was going to say. Just Lord Sesshoumaru stayed behind with them... After maybe half an hour, Naho left again. Of course, everyone was curious and wanted to know what they talked about, but whatever it was, they maintained silence about it."

"Naho? Naho the Seer?" Akahito asked, surprised. "My parents always said she's..."

"Crazy? Mad?" Okakura asked and laughed. "Oh, they were right, she's as crazy as it gets. Many say she's just spouting nonsense because she isn't right in the head. But, you'll find just as many who will tell you she's turned crazy because she couldn't bear her visions..." Okakura let his voice trail off, giving it a mysterious sound.

"And?" Akahito asked. "What is the truth?"

Okakura shrugged. "Who knows?"

Akahito stared at him. "Let me get something straight: You enter a _war_ because of a seer who, for all you know, might just be a crackpot? Because she told Lord Seibunishi something that could have been about anything?"

Okakura smirked. "I'm glad you can follow."

"But what if it isn't about Inuyasha at all?" Akahito asked incredulously. "What if Lord Sesshoumaru will just tell you about some crazy story?"

"Then," Okakura said, still smirking, "I hope it's at least amusing."

Akahito stopped and stared after Okakura. What the hell had he gotten into? And, was it worth placing his life on the line?

* * *

Hello... I guess a sorry is in order... It's almost been three years since I updated, that's too long. I haven't even got a good excuse - everyday life just got in between, I guess.

I especially want to apologize to all people who even wrote to me personally over the last years, not getting an answer. I'm really sorry.

Well, I'm back. At least, I hope so. Writing this chapter went pretty well, even if it's a bit short. The baddest part was probably that I had to read my own story again (!) because I kept mixing up the order of events and had even completely forgotten about some details.

It was somewhat hard to read through the beginning – I'm not really happy with the first few chapters. I'd have to rewrite them, though, so I guess I'll just have to stick with them. Instead of spending time trying to sort out my early mistakes, I'd rather make new mistakes by continuing the story (finally!). ;)

*Bows*


	29. Chapter 28: Forging Sympathy

**Settle the Score**_  
by Chri_

**December 30th, 2008: **Chapter completed.  
**January 6th, 2009: **Chapter updated (Beta-read).

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahasi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Paradise Lost_.

**Special thanks to:**  
Again to _dangersque_ for beta-reading. Thanks for your help!

* * *

**Chapter 28**

_I'm closing all the doors  
While my frown remains  
Until I reach my golden haven  
I'll let the sadness pass my way_

_**Forging Sympathy**_

Kagome crawled out of the bone-eater's well. When she finally reached the top, she sat down on the edge and caught her breath. She didn't feel well, not at all – the bad feeling in her stomach just kept increasing. She'd spent some time trying to make up something to tell her mother, but everything she'd thought of had sounded like cheap excuses. However, she couldn't just take off after Inuyasha without giving any kind of notice.

In hindsight, it probably hadn't been a good idea to not visit at all the day before. But she'd been so worried over Inuyasha.

_'I pray that his soul may find peace in the next life.'_

Kagome shook herself. Remembering Miroku's words, remembering when Inuyasha had stopped breathing, still made her physically hurt.

She hadn't dared to leave his side. She didn't know if she could have handled watching him die, but she was sure that she could never have forgiven herself for _missing_ it because she was dallying around in her time.

However, she didn't want to tell this to her mother. Up until now, her family had always believed that Inuyasha was some kind of superhero and that, with his help, the search for the jewel wasn't all that hard or dangerous. She had already told her mother that Inuyasha had been hurt; she didn't also want to tell them that he had been on the verge of dying. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't keen on filling them in on any of the details of the recent turn of events.

_'I'm so sick of it...'_ Kagome thought, her shoulders slumping. It had been fun, at first, being special. Telling her friends she wasn't feeling well, when she was in fact in a better physical condition than any of them. Traveling to another time, experiencing exciting adventures while her friends were sitting in yet another boring class.

But the spell had worn off quickly. She'd fallen behind in her grades, and was losing contact with her friends. She had to lie all the time – it wasn't easy anymore, even in good times. Now that everything took a turn for the worst...

"Kagome, is that you?"

It was her grandfather. She heard steps getting closer - undoubtedly he wanted to check the well. She pulled herself together and stepped outside the well shrine.

"Hello, gramps," she said, nervously brushing back a strand of hair.

The old man stopped a few feet away from her. "Hello, Kagome," he said, giving her a small, quizzical smile. "How are you?"

Kagome felt immensely relieved that he wasn't blaming her right from the start, but welcomed her at home. "I've had better days," she admitted, returning the smile. "But I'm all right."

"And Inuyasha, how is he faring?" he asked and leaned to the side to look past Kagome into the shrine. "Asami mentioned that he got hurt... He's not with you, is he?"

Kagome shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Well..." she said, stalling for time. She suddenly noticed that her grandfather was watching her intently from the corner of his eye.

"He was hurt pretty badly," she stated. "Let me tell the story inside the house to everyone... Mum's here, isn't she?"

The old man nodded. "Souta's at home, too. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Kagome smiled nervously. "How is he doing?"

"He's getting better. We let him stay at home from school the last two days, and there's no school today, anyway. He's bored because he's restricted by the noose for his arm," her grandfather explained, imitating the positioning with his own arm.

"It must be hard for him..." Kagome said.

The old man waved it away. "There's many a man who _lost _an arm or two in the war. He can be happy it's only for a few days."

Kagome didn't know how to answer, so she started towards the house, her grandfather following. After she entered, she took off her shoes, still wondering what she should tell her family.

She'd also been somewhat scared to face them entirely on her own. Her hope had been to return with Inuyasha, give him a chance to apologize to her family, and reestablish some level of trust in him. It wouldn't have been easy, but it wouldn't have been impossible, either.

Instead, Inuyasha had split up with them and was now chasing after his assailant on his own.

_'I don't have time for this...'_ she thought. _'Every minute, Inuyasha is extending his lead.'_

Steeling her resolve, she entered the kitchen, finding both Asami and Souta inside. "Hello," she said. "I'm back..."

"Welcome home," Asami greeted her.

Her brother waved with his uninjured arm. "Hello, Kagome," he said, looking behind her nervously.

Kagome turned around, but found only her grandfather shaking his head towards Souta. _'Oh,'_ she thought. _'He wanted to see if Inuyasha was with me.' _She turned back to her brother. "Inuyasha's not here. We've had a few problems..."

"It's 'cause of me, isn't it?" Souta asked. "Please tell Inuyasha that I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

"Souta, it's Inuyasha who's sorry!" Kagome interrupted, honestly disconcerted. "It's not _your _fault..."

Asami gestured at the table when she noticed her daughter trailing off. "Come on, Kagome, sit down. You look like you haven't gotten a lot of sleep."

Kagome battled with herself. She _was _tired, but she didn't have time for long-winded discussions. "Thanks, but I can't stay for long. I only stopped by to see how Souta's doing."

"It's so boring," Souta complained. "But, it's not so bad, really, tell that to Inuyasha."

_'I wish I could,'_ Kagome thought guiltily. Her brother probably still thought that Inuyasha was angry at him, while it was in fact all her own fault.

"Kagome, you at least owe us all an explanation," her mother said, snapping Kagome out of her thoughts. "The last time you visited, you were rather quick to leave again, without giving much of an explanation. All for good reasons, I'm sure, but then you were gone for two days. How long will it take until you return this time?" Asami was still inviting her to sit down at the table.

Kagome gulped. _'I guess I owe them that much...'_ It might be weeks until she saw her family again. Also for Inuyasha's sake, she should probably try to diffuse the situation at her home as much as possible.

She finally sat down with her family. "I guess I should start with what happened after you left for the hospital," Kagome began. "I was angry at Inuyasha and confronted him. He was actually very talkative, at least for his standards, really wanting to explain what happened. According to him, Souta startled him awake and pulled Tetsusaiga out on him."

"I didn't pull it _on_ him," Souta interrupted. "Really!"

Asami looked at her with a bewildered expression. "Has he gone crazy? My son's only a little _boy_, while he's more like a medieval killing machine! Souta couldn't hurt him even if he wanted to."

"No, wait," Kagome cut in desperately, waving defensively with her hands. "The emphasis is on _startled_… How can I explain?" She took a few seconds, arranging her thoughts.

"You have to know that Inuyasha didn't have an easy childhood. And by not easy I mean that both human and youkai had already repeatedly tried to _kill_ him when he was as old as Souta." Kagome paused for emphasis and also because she felt her throat tighten after looking at he brother. He was so small…

"Look," she said, forcing herself to continue, "Inuyasha has become a good person. But considering how he grew up, it's no wonder he became a bit mistrusting. Being a hanyou, he also relies a lot on his supernatural senses. When Souta pulled out Tetsusaiga, he was in his human form without being aware of it because he had just been startled awake. He just jumped to the conclusion that Souta was someone who could stalk up to him – he didn't even recognize him!"

Kagome fell silent, looking at her family. It probably sounded like she wanted to sway them with a tear-jerker, while she'd actually left out all the gruesome details, at least the ones she knew of. She really meant what she'd said – Inuyasha had his faults, but every time she thought about his past or got to know another sickening detail, she was amazed that he had become an honest, dependable person.

After a while, her grandfather spoke up. "Asami, I think we should give him another chance. Accidents happen and unlucky strings of coincidences happen, we're probably reading too much into it."

"An unlucky string of coincidences?" Asami asked incredulously.

"Until now, he has taken good care of your daughter, you have to hand him that much," Kagome's grandfather answered. "Probably not least _because_ he has learned to make quick decisions."

"I hadn't known that Inuyasha had such a short fuse – how long until the next accident?" Asami countered.

Kagome listened to their discussion with growing discomfort. "You're making it sound worse than it is," she interjected desperately. "He's human only once a month – it was just bad luck."

"Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise?" Asami asked. "I don't want to know what he would have done to Souta if he'd had his demon powers."

"Mum, that's not fair!" Kagome shouted. She felt tears beginning to sting in her eyes but forced them back. "I told you that this would never have happened if he'd been normal! He fell asleep because we'd had a pretty rough week; it was probably the first time he's ever slept as a human at all. You're talking like Inyuasha was a lunatic ready to snap any moment."

"I'm not saying he's a bad person," Asami said and sighed. "Kagome, I'm still not convinced. I would have expected Inuyasha – and you as well – to be here after I came back from the hospital, with a good excuse and a proper explanation. Instead, there wasn't anyone here at first. Then, you show up on the verge of tears only to disappear after a few minutes – for two days! And the only explanation you offered was that there had been a fight and Inuyasha had been hurt. Kagome, really, I'm trying to be understanding and support you, but I feel you're keeping things from me. I've turned a blind eye until now, but I can't support you any longer if you're not telling me the truth."

Kagome felt like the last of her strength had been drained of her. "The truth…" she mumbled and looked down, starting to play with her fingers. "The truth…"

She couldn't gather a clear thought, her mind trying to wander off into every possible direction at once. Memories of the last days flashed before her without order or reason, with only a single word reverberating. It was like the world was spinning around her, threatening to cave her in, bury her alive.

Finally, she looked up again. "The truth is, I almost killed Inuyasha," she admitted quietly. Her sight had become blurry. '_Osuwari.'_ She gulped. "Just… just like that!"

She started to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Just like that," she repeated, burying her face in her hands.

Kagome felt Asami taking her into her arms and leaned against her mother's shoulder, starting to shake. After a while, still crying, she started to tell the tale just like it had happened. How they'd decided to quickly check on their friends, how they'd met a stranger in the village whom Inuyasha had attacked all of a sudden. How she'd finally sat him, delivering the hanyou into the hands of his enemy. That she had shot at Isobe and Miroku had saved them with his Kazaana. That they had carried the unconscious Inuyasha inside and that he had almost died, at which part she started to cry even harder.

"Sssshh, Kagome, calm down," Asami said in an even tone, giving Kagome a comforting hug.

But Kagome couldn't calm down. She continued, unable to leave her story unfinished, telling how they'd taken turns watching Inuyasha, about the little girl that had been hurt and unconscious for a while. How she'd given Inuyasha tea to drink and how he had finally awoken – and left.

"He… he was angrier than I've ever seen him," Kagome said, finally letting go of her mother. She wiped over her eyes with the sleeve of her pullover. "We've had a few quarrels, but nothing like this."

"Kagome…" Asami said, sympathy evident in her voice.

"I feel so stupid," Kagome stated sadly, looking at her mother.

"Don't say that," her mother answered. "You gave it everything you had."

"I don't know…" Kagome trailed off and sighed, closing her eyes. Somehow, she felt a bit better now. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and continued, "Well, we're going after him. None of us could just carry on."

"Hmmm," Asami said. "Don't you think it would be a good idea to rest, at least for a day? Kagome, you clearly haven't had much sleep lately."

"Well, I really haven't," Kagome admitted. "But I'll be all right."

"Will you?" Asami asked. "I haven't ever seen you so disturbed – Inuyasha probably can't even begin to fathom what _he's_ putting _you_ through. I really think you should sleep on it. Here, with your family."

"Mum… I can't," Kagome replied.

"Asami…" her grandfather interjected, but was ignored by both.

"Kagome, I really think it would be for the best," Asami stated.

"Mum…" Kagome said, staring at her mother. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Inuyasha's headed for the town where Isobe came from, with a head start at that. We can't miss him – it would be for the best if we get there earlier than Inuyasha."

"Well, I haven't got a choice, either!" Asami replied, her voice suddenly getting louder. "Really, I'm actually proud of you, how brave you were – but I can't say the same about Inuyasha. Just attacking without telling you anything, what was he thinking?"

"Mum!"

"Ultimately, all of you ended up in great danger, most of all Inuyasha himself!" Asami continued. "A family lost their home, their little girl almost killed! And instead of admitting at least part is his fault, Inuyasha throws a tantrum and abandons his friends. How many accidents will have to happen, how many children will have to get hurt until he finally comes to his senses?"

Kagome looked at her mother incredulously. "If someone listened to you, he'd think that this was just a misunderstanding because of Inuyasha's behaviour. You probably don't like to hear it, but the past _is_ a harsh place. It's not like he's gone crazy!"

"Kagome -"

"No, you listen to me!" Kagome interrupted her mother, the volume of her voice also rising. She stood up, unable to sit any longer. "There are battles, hunger and diseases. There are bands of bandits terrorizing the population, armies of local warlords that aren't any better, and demons slaughtering whole villages at their leisure. And ever since the Shikon Jewel was shattered, it's become twice as bad. As regrettable as it is for a little child to get hurt, she's up and about again, the hut will be rebuilt, and we're all glad that nothing serious happened."

"And that makes it any better?" Asami shot back and stood up as well. "Just like that, case closed?"

"It's the _warring states period_ – it's not that out of the ordinary!" Kagome replied loudly. "Miroku lives with a curse that's going to devour him long before he reaches an old age. Sango had her family murdered in front of her eyes, all of her friends killed – for a small shard of the jewel. Inuyasha's an orphan, his brother out to kill him, caught between the fronts of the feud between demons and humans. Most people there have their own sad story to tell. Kaede has lost her sister and an eye as a little child, Shippou has lost his parents. Each of them saved my life a couple of times – and you're expecting me to stay at home because I'm a little _tired_? I wouldn't be able to look them straight in the eyes!"

Kagome glared at her mother, who was looking at her with a stern expression.

Finally, Asami took her daughter by the shoulders. "I'm really worried about your attitude, Kagome. Instead of thinking about it critically, you're obviously blind to any good advice. And now you're planning to just charge after him, without an idea of who or what you're dealing with."

"How often do you think we have to charge into the unknown?" Kagome asked in reply, almost shouting. "With Naraku pulling the strings, even if you know it's a trap, there's sometimes not much of a choice! You don't have the _faintest _idea what you're talking about!"

"Kagome, I'm sorry. I should have probably done this sooner. Much sooner…" Asami made a deep breath. "I don't think that I can let you go to the past. You're staying here, that's my last word."

Something in Kagome snapped. She felt a power rising within her, not unlike to when she was about to fire an arrow. Almost as if it had a life of its own, it pulsed - white, searing, unrelenting. Asami let go of her as if she'd been burned. "Just try to stop me," Kagome challenged her mother, her voice steady and low. "Then maybe you'll finally notice that your little daughter has grown up."

With that, Kagome turned around and walked out of the room. She could feel her power swirling around her. She didn't know how she did it, but she was too angry to care. Asami was saying something, but her voice sounded as if she were very far away, barely noticeable to Kagome. She felt as if something was pushing her slightly from behind, but she just ignored it.

She reached the entrance of the house and, after quickly slipping into her shoes, made for the well shrine. In the middle of the front porch, Asami circled around her, keeping quite a distance, and blocked her path. Kagome stopped and looked at her mother, only seeing Asami moving her mouth, without making a sound.

"Mum, get out of my way," Kagome told her mother.

In response, Asami tried to get to Kagome, still frantically moving her mouth. But after a step, Asami leaned forward as if pressing against a fierce wind, not getting any closer no matter how hard she seemed to push.

With a wave of her hand, Kagome pushed her mother aside without physically touching her, and continued towards the shrine.

When she'd finally reached the well, Kagome turned around and found her mother heatedly arguing with her grandfather, judging from her expression and gestures. Behind them, Souta was peering into the well shrine from the outside.

Kagome noticed tears on her mother's face and, all of a sudden, the loud voice of her mother reached her – she felt as if it hit her like a hammer, instinctively jerking up her hands to shield herself.

"… still a child!" Asami yelled at Kagome's grandfather, crying. "Now that Inuyasha's gone, we wouldn't even get a message if something happened to her. If… If… I could never forgive myself!"

"Asami…" the old man answered, sounding uncertain.

Kagome sighed. "Mum," she said loudly, getting their attention.

Asami jerked her head around, turning her attention towards her daughter. "Kagome, think about it!" she argued. "Don't go!"

Kagome shook her head and climbed up the edge of the well. "Mum, I want to go. I _have_ to go," she said determinedly. "It's my decision and not yours."

She turned around and jumped.

Her mother's scream was suddenly cut off to Kagome when the bone-eater's well sent her hundreds of years to the past.

* * *

The chapter's a bit short again, but I decided to post it since it didn't really fit together with the next, and as a short teaser before the end of the year.

I wish you a happy new year, see you 2009! :)


	30. Chapter 29: Backward Journey

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**March 7****th****, 2009:** Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Alchemist_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell _and _dangersque _for beta-reading. Thank you!  
Also, though we never met, to _Scribe Figaro _for his brilliant homepage.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

_Tolerance is only shown  
when the dollar can be grown  
We're going back to fighting wars  
For our politician's cause_

_**Backward Journey**_

They had almost reached the village. Okakura had been on the alert all the way, but they'd been lucky and avoided any human contact during their walk through the forest which saved his energy, since he didn't have to cast the spell too soon.

"Akahito, stop," Okakura said. "We're almost there; the human village is just ahead of us. We're still too obviously youkai."

"So? Should we crawl in the mud to seem more like humans?" Akahito asked sarcastically.

"That would probably work as well," Okakura replied with a grin. "But I know a more convenient method. Be quiet and watch."

Under the skeptical eyes of the young demon, Okakura started with the spell. Concentrating on his youki, he weaved the energies into the correct pattern. He could feel reality starting to bend, so slightly it was almost unnoticeable even to the expert eye of a priest or a miko. Which was the whole point, really.

He'd learned this particular spell a few centuries ago, and it had come in handy every now and then. It was a shame that almost no youkai knew about it, but hardly surprising, considering how seldom youkai mingled with humans, unless it was about dinner.

Having almost finished the spell, Okakura heard Akahito gasp. "What the hell are you doing?" the younger demon asked.

"I said be quiet," Okakura replied, struggling to keep his concentration. The illusion required only low amounts of youki, but a ridiculous amount of precision for a spell of that level.

He took a deep breath when he had finally finished and stretched out his hands, examining them with satisfaction. "Neat, eh?"

Akahito was looking at his own hands, but with a look of repulsion.

"Like hell, neat," Akahito complained. "What happened to my claws?"

"They're still there, stupid," Okakura explained. "It's just an illusion to make us look human."

The younger demon was still staring skeptically at his finger nails. Finally, he looked up. "Even the face…" Akahito said, studying Okakura with a mixture of incredulity and disgust. "The stripes and the ears. And even the eyes…"

"Well, each of those features would be somewhat suspicious even on its own, I daresay," Okakura laughed.

"Where did you learn a useless spell like that?" Akahito wondered aloud. "It's not worth a single minute of practice."

Okakura sighed. The young demon was often trying his patience, sometimes deliberately, but often simply out of ignorance. "If you'd rather hide away your youkai origin by covering in mud, be my guest," he said, indicating at a small puddle.

"Yeah, yeah," Akahito said and leaned a bit towards Okakura, sniffing. "But it doesn't even hide our smell! Even an idiot would understand that we're youkai, no matter what we look like."

"Remember, we're talking about humans here – their sense of smell is so bad it's almost non-existent," Okakura explained.

"Really?" Akahito made a disbelieving face. "But… that's like being blind."

"Well, I guess you can't miss what you never had…" Okakura shrugged. "They seem to be getting along well enough. In any case, disguised like this, only the few humans that can sense youki would be able to make us out for what we are."

"Humans…" Akahito said with disgust. "Every time I learn something new about them, they become even more pathetic."

"That just shows that you haven't learned a lot about the world," Okakura said. "Disguised like this, we are like kings among them."

"Like kings…." Akahito trailed off and shook his head, again looking at his claws. "Kings of ants, perhaps."

"Even ants have their uses," Okakura replied. "They see the world from another point of view, and they're almost everywhere."

Akahito shrugged. "You know, the longer I'm traveling with you, the more I'm disillusioned about being a great youkai."

Okakura had to laugh. "I'm not living up to the stories about me?"

"Well, in a certain way I guess you are. I think you're even more cunning than they say. But the stories don't mention that you've cast away all pride and even mingle with humans."

"Pride is what fools name their stupidity," Okakura said. "What it comes down to is that I'm still alive, unlike most of the fools I knew. No one sings songs about you if you're dead. Remember that."

"So I'm a fool as well?" Akahito asked, a hint of hurt pride in his voice.

"I hope not," Okakura replied earnestly. "Well, I guess it's all right for the youth to have some ideals. Just think twice if they're worth giving your life for."

He sighed. "Come on, let's get going."

_'Was I like that as well when I was young?'_ Okakura wondered while they walked. Akahito was quite strong for his age and also learned rather quickly, but his head was full of useless ideas. Sometimes, Okakura felt like he was talking to a brick wall. He was sure that if someone had shown _him_ that concealing spell when he had been young, he'd have immediately wanted to know how it worked.

He had hoped for a similar reaction from Akahito, but instead the young demon hadn't shown the remotest interest in learning how to do it himself. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was disappointed, and a bit hurt, if he was honest with himself – the spell was one of his favorites.

_'Ungrateful little brat,'_ Okakura thought and grimaced. Maybe it was a bad idea to take the reckless demon along into a human settlement? He hoped that his companion would get his nose out of the air, but things could get messy if, for instance, Akahito felt like defending his oh-so valued pride for some reason.

"Akahito, I'm only going to say this once. While we are in the village, you absolutely mustn't hurt humans, make some ambiguous comments or do anything else that blows our cover. We're on a surveillance mission for Lord Sesshoumaru, don't forget that."

"I know," Akahito replied seriously.

Okakura regarded the young demon carefully. Akahito seemed to be honest, so he left it at that. _'I'll have to be careful not to throw Sesshoumaru's name around too often,'_ Okakura thought, wondering whether Akahito would have had another witty reply if he hadn't reminded him that they were traveling under the direct command of the taiyoukai.

Finally, the forest cleared to give way for a road. Not wishing to seem suspicious by suddenly jumping out of the woods, Okakura checked that there was no one on tour at the moment, then quickly stepped on the road and motioned for his companion to follow.

"We're as good as there," Okakura said. "The village is just around the corner."

A few minutes later a village came into view. It was actually pretty big, as it was on a road connecting two important human cities. As this was pretty much the only village in the forest, there were always travelers looking for a place to sleep, restock their supplies or just rest their feet for a while before continuing on their travels.

When they entered the village, nobody seemed to really notice them. It was almost noon and there were a lot of people about – Okakura could make out workers returning for lunch, travelers with hired guards and merchants hawking their wares. A few families were going out to eat, their children running around, playing.

_'Perfect timing,'_ Okakura thought. In remote places, humans were usually suspicious or even openly hostile to strangers. But in a village like this one, it was pretty easy to slip in, especially during noon. Even with a beginner at pretending to be human like Akahito, the two youkai were just another pair of travelers.

Okakura looked at Akahito, noting with satisfaction the nervous looks his traveling companion was shooting conspicuously into every direction. He would have given Akahito a few tips on how to act around humans, but in return for being so ignorant, he was going to let the young demon find out for himself.

They finally arrived at the local inn, the place Okakura had been heading for. The village had changed somewhat since he had been here last, but the inn still looked the same; just a few wooden planks had been replaced.

When he entered, the chatter that seemed to be common to all human inns inundated Okakura. He took a quick look around and found the inn moderately full, but there still were a few vacant places. Sadly, Fumito was nowhere in sight.

Looking for a place that was at least somewhat shadowy and isolated, Okakura finally settled for a free table at the rear end of the inn.

"Let's sit here," he said to Akahito and sat down, offering the place opposite to him.

"And now?" Akahito asked quietly, sitting down as well.

"We're going to meet Fumito, the owner of the inn," Okakura explained. "I've known him for a while; he's always pretty much up to date with what's going on."

Akahito didn't reply, but after staring defiantly at the wall for some time, he started to cast curious glances at the humans eating and drinking in the inn. Okakura had no doubt that the inexperienced youkai had trouble placing the myriad of unknown smells - an exceptional experience for every dog youkai.

After a minute, a waitress approached them. "Hello, young sirs. How can I help you?" she asked in a friendly voice.

Okakura laughed – it was a while since someone had called him young. He looked at the waitress – black hair, green eyes, probably sixteen or seventeen years old. "Suki? Is that you?"

"Yes, I am," she said and regarded him curiously for a moment. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not," Okakura replied. "I've seen you a few times when you were a little girl…"

"Must have been quite a while ago. I'm sure I would remember you," Suki answered with a smile.

"I'm sure you would," Okakura said, returning the smile. "Is your father around? I'd like to see the old rascal."

"He's gone out, but he should be back any minute," Suki answered. "I'll tell him that you're here, all right?"

"That would be great," Okakura said, bowing his head a bit.

"So, do you want anything while you're waiting?" Suki said. "I can recommend our maki - they're very good."

"Just a jug of sake, thank you," Okakura replied.

"And the handsome young man?" Suki asked, turning to Akahito.

Akahito seemed taken by surprise, not answering immediately. "Also a jug of sake," he finally brought out.

"Two jugs of sake, all right," Suki said, before turning and leaving.

'Ain't that cute?' Okakura thought, looking at Akahito. _'He's blushing!'_

"She doesn't look too bad, huh?" he said conversationally.

"What are you saying?" Akahito replied flustered, his cheeks getting even redder. "She's only a hum-" He caught himself before blurting the word human out loud. "I mean, she's a young girl, you old letch."

"I just wanted to know if she's your type. No need to get jealous," Okakura said apologetically. Starting to grin, he continued in his most concerned voice, "Are you all right? Your face is completely red."

Akahito looked down at his hands, a short growl escaping him before he caught himself.

Okakura laughed. "Come on, I'm just teasing you."

"Don't you think we should be a bit more serious?" Akahito said quietly through gritted teeth.

"You ought to lighten up a bit," Okakura replied and gave Akahito a well meant pat on the shoulder. "We can finally rest our legs, a cute girl is serving us sake, and we shouldn't even need money."

"Money?" Akahito asked. "What do you mean?"

Okakura closed his eyes for a moment – the little cur really knew nothing. He then took a quick look around, making sure that no one was listening to their conversation. "It's what humans pay with," he said quietly. "See the man to your left? He's paying with money right now."

Akahito inconspicuously turned his head to the direction of Suki, who was getting a few coins from a man. "The little metal pieces?"

Okakura nodded. "I've never really understood how it works," he admitted. "But as long as you have enough of those little things, you can get humans to do almost anything for you."

"Weird…" Akahito commented while they both watched the man finish paying.

After bowing to the man, Suki took a quick look to see if another customer wanted something from her and caught the two youkai watching her. She quickly winked at them before she continued on her way.

Akahito turned away as if caught stealing.

Okakura grinned. "If you act like that, she'll think you don't like her."

When Akahito didn't answer, he continued. "Come on, there's nothing wrong with a little love affair. No one has to know."

"Okakura…" Akahito snarled, causing the old youkai to laugh.

Okakura wanted to reply, but he saw a man entering the inn. It was Fumito - Okakura was sure about it, even if the man had developed a bald head in the meantime. Seeing Fumito and his additional wrinkles, Okakura was reminded about what probably disconcerted him the most about humans - they aged faster than one could look. It seemed like yesterday that he had congratulated the man for his little daughter, and in the meantime Fumito probably was already a grandfather.

Suki had also noticed her father and walked to him. They talked for a while, after which Fumito walked in their direction. Okakura noticed that the man walked with a slight limp. Fumito took his time, talking with some of the guests on his way, often getting merry laughter for his comments.

"Hello, Fumito," Okakura said when the man finally reached them. "It's been a while."

"Well, well, if it ain't Lord Okakura," Fumito said. "A while, he says. Bloody twelve years is more like it."

"Yes, the decades are just flying by…" Okakura replied, starting to grin.

Fumito sighed dramatically. "Decades. Well, I hope we still have a few ahead of us."

"I'm sure about that," Okakura said and laughed. "It's good to see you. How are you doing?"

"Well, I guess I can't complain," Fumito said, smiling. "The inn is going well, especially since Suki is old enough to help. And you, still sticking your nose everywhere? And probably not just your nose…"

Okakura laughed. "Yes, that sums it up pretty well."

"And the young man?" Fumito asked. "Is he… _family_?"

"Yeah, something like that," Okakura explained. "Akahito, this is Fumito, an old friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Akahito replied formally. To Okakura's surprise, the young demon even bowed a bit.

"Ah, the pleasure is mine, Lord Akahito," Fumito replied, returning the bow. "I sure wish our young men were as well behaved as you… All they ever do is stare at my daughter, let me tell you!"

"But she's become so beautiful," Okakura said. "It's hard to blame them."

"Pah! My daughter deserves better than some ogling idiot. But come on, let's go to the back where we can talk without interruptions. Suki said you already ordered?"

The two demons stood up. "Yes. Sake for the both of us," Okakura replied as they followed the man to the back of the inn.

"It's on the house, of course," Fumito said. "So, here we are – the room ain't that big, but at least it's quiet. Please, sit down, sit down. Just let me shut the door to have some peace and quiet. If someone tried to eavesdrop, I guess you'd notice right away?"

"Of course," Akahito stated while the old man closed the door.

"Perfect, perfect," Fumito said as he walked back to them. He sat down with them and continued, "One has to look out. Bad news always travels the fastest, you know."

"I'm a harbinger of bad news?" Okakura joked.

"On the contrary, Lord Okakura," Fumito shook his head. "If someone of your influence spares us his time, it's always an opportunity to change things for the better."

"That sounds like you've got your own problems to deal with…" Okakura said. "How's it going in the human world? Last thing I heard is that you were all fighting crazily against each other."

Fumito sighed. "You know I hear a lot of rumors from all over Japan, and what I'm hearing is getting worse with every passing year. At first, there were a hundred little lords fighting each other, but now there's only a handful left. They've acquired a lot of influence, each trying to become the next Shogun. The armies they field are getting bigger and bigger - they're recruiting people that are now missing in a hundred important places. Also, many are starving, often even the very farmers. They say that if people weren't dying left and right, for some of the bigger towns the food supply would just collapse. The list just goes on and on..."

"So it didn't get any better," Okakura remarked.

"That's for sure," Fumito agreed. "At least, I can't complain personally – despite all the chaos, trade has increased considerably. Or maybe even because of the chaos – nowadays, a commoner can travel all over Japan if he wishes to. And you know, all those travelers and merchants have to eat and sleep somewhere."

He winked. "Especially if they are traveling through this forest where all the trading posts that were ever built got destroyed. By youkai, they say. Most mysteriously, only this village is left in peace."

"Strange things happen..." Okakura replied innocently.

"As if there was a guardian deity watching over us," Fumito said and smiled. "Well, I guess you didn't visit to listen to some human whining about what's going good and bad on our side… What graces me with the honor of your visit?"

"I just wanted to ask if-" Okakura said, but was interrupted by Akahito. The younger youkai cut him off with a gesture and indicated the door.

A moment later, it slid to the side and Suki entered the room. "I'm sorry: I didn't… didn't want to interrupt," she said meekly. "It's just that - your order…"

"Ah, our sake," Okakura said. "Thanks. Just bring it in."

Suki closed the door behind her and slowly walked closer. Her earlier lightheartedness had all but vanished - she walked stiffly and kept her eyes downcast. The unmistakable stench of fear assaulted Okakura's nose, becoming more intense with each of the girl's steps.

She finally reached them and placed a jug of sake in the middle of the table, together with three drinking cups.

"Will you want anything else, your Lordships?" she asked afterwards and bowed.

"That's all for now, thank you," Okakura answered, trying to sound reassuring, though it was probably futile. If he was too friendly, the girl might think that he was trying to have his way with her.

Suki bowed again and turned to leave the room. Okakura looked after her, unable to keep the disappointment from showing on his face.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with her, Lord Okakura," Fumito said after Suki had closed the door from the outside. "Maybe I shouldn't have told her who you are."

Okakura turned to Fumito. "You've waited too long. Of course she'll be afraid if you spring it on her like that."

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Fumito said determinedly. "I've told her since she was little that we, and the whole village, are in the debt of the great Lord Okakura. But… well, she's never met a youkai face to face before."

"It's good we didn't give our names…" Okakura said. "I would probably have caused quite a scene."

Fumito shook his head. "I can assure you, that's not the case. Even if she's nervous for finally meeting you in person, she wouldn't have done anything troublesome." The human bowed. "I swear it."

Okakura nodded. "All right… I guess I really haven't stopped by for quite a while."

"I'm sure you had important things to do, Lord Okakura," Fumito said. "But anyway, you were about to reveal the reason for your visit?"

"Ah, yes. Well, there's some trouble among the youkai as well, but sadly it's hard to find out anything," Okakura said. "So, I thought, maybe my good friend Fumito has heard about an interesting rumor or something suspicious. Anything unusual that might seem connected to youkai."

"You're not giving me much to go by…" Fumito said, trailing off. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "The first thing that comes to my mind is that new cult in Edo - the holy anti-youkai league or something. It seems to be mostly monks and miko, but the rumor goes that they'll accept anyone with a talent for fighting youkai, and that they're growing quickly. It's all rather mysterious. Some say that humans are finally fighting back, others think that the local lord just wants to protect his army against youkai."

"Doesn't sound that scary to me," Akahito laughed.

"I'm sure they'd have their hands full with a dog youkai such as yourself," Fumito agreed, joining in on the laugh, "but there's many smaller kinds of youkai that even a single monk is perfectly capable of handling. I imagine a few hundred of them might even be a danger to some of the stronger ones."

"A few _hundred_?" Okakura exclaimed.

"Well, the rumors are probably exaggerating a bit," Fumito admitted. "But my feeling tells me that a hundred isn't far off, and they're supposedly still busy recruiting."

"Do you think that you can find out more about them?" Okakura asked. "Their purpose, their leadership structure, to whom they owe allegiance?"

Fumito shook his head after thinking for a moment. "No, at least not reliable information. As I said, they're being rather mysterious, so the rumors aren't very trustworthy. I think someone would have to check in person."

Okakura nodded. "All right. Heard anything else?"

"Well, not directly…" Fumito said. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Let's say you're a youkai who wants to raise trouble without being noticed for a while…" Okakura said. "Where would you go?"

"This sounds bad," Fumito said, concern in his voice. "Raise trouble, as in razing villages?"

"That might be a side effect," Okakura answered. "But you want to gain something important, and you don't want anyone to hear about it for a while."

First, Fumito suggested a remote temple that supposedly held a lot of treasures, and next a reclusively-living weapon smith. But neither were near Sesshoumaru's territory, so Okakura continued to ask.

"This one's probably a long shot," Fumito said, "but there's this village that will hold their annual market in a few days. They're mining jade, and a big part of the annual yield is being traded, which would make for quite a haul. So usually, there would be lots of people - not an ideal target if you're a youkai trying to be sneaky. But, two merchants thinking about traveling there told me independently that they felt unsure about going this year, since there was an increasing number of youkai attacks in the area, recently.

"So, I guess there won't be as many attendants as usual and because of the market, I doubt that anyone would get suspicious if no one gave message for a few days, what with everyone being busy. The village is pretty much in the center of the province, so a military force couldn't approach unnoticed, but for a youkai it could be possible. Of course, the youkai would need to be powerful, since there will be a lot of guards from the local lord, in addition to the guardsmen that the merchants have undoubtedly hired."

Something rang in the back of Okakura's head. "Where is this village exactly?" he asked, his voice completely neutral. When Fumito explained the position, Okakura was sure – it was the mining village that Seibunishi had had a treaty with. But, hadn't it been mysteriously destroyed a few decades ago?

To avoid making Fumito suspicious, Okakura let the human have a few other guesses, but they weren't nearly as interesting as the mining village. The longer he thought about it, the more his instincts were telling him that he had found the piece of the puzzle he'd been looking for.

"Hrm, I think those are all pretty interesting ideas," Okakura said after Fumito had finished with his last suggestion. "You'd probably have made a great criminal mastermind."

Fumito laughed. "I think I prefer being an innkeeper."

"Probably a wise decision," Okakura agreed.

They talked for a while longer, finally drinking the sake that had been standing on the table, almost forgotten. Akahito didn't say much, while Fumito and Okakura were catching up on each other's lives.

Finally, Okakura stood up. "Well, I thank you for your time. It was great to talk with you, as always."

Fumito bowed. "It's the least I can do, Lord Okakura."

They all left the room, Fumito leading the way. In the main room of the inn, the human bowed once more and wished Okakura and Akahito a safe journey. The two youkai bade Fumito farewell and made for the exit.

Okakura nodded to Suki when they passed her. "See you around," he said, smiling encouragingly. The girl bowed in return, but from what his nose told him, it was mostly so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Once outside, he thought about showing Akahito more of the village, but he guessed it was enough human-study for a day. He non-conspicuously led them out of village and, once they were far enough, finally into the woods again.

"Humans are weird," Akahito muttered as soon as they were out of earshot.

Okakura grinned. "They're a curious lot, aren't they?"

"Well, I don't know…" Akahito said. "Not very useful, though. He didn't have anything interesting to tell."

"Did you sit on your ears?" Okakura asked. "It was plenty interesting. You see, one could say that the mining village he was talking about was a companion village to the one we just left."

"A companion village?" Akahito asked confusedly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, from the youkai point of view. Or, the Lord Seibunishi point of view, to be more precise. Towards the end of his rule, he decided to gain influence in a couple of human settlements."

"What for?" Akahito wanted to know.

"I don't know…" Okakura said. "It was before the whole Naho-Inuyasha business, so we can rule out that it had to do anything with him. One day, Lord Seibunishi just came up with the idea and that was that – he didn't bother explaining himself. Not that he spread it around that he was suddenly concerning himself with humans, but it can't have been that unimportant to him, since he asked me personally to help in the endeavor of establishing contacts with them."

"You were probably the only youkai who had bothered talking with humans," Akahito joked.

"Well, I wasn't the only one suited for the job," Okakura said and grinned. "But I was definitely the best."

"And what exactly was this job about?" Akahito asked.

"Basically, nothing that big," Okakura explained. "It didn't take all that much to get their trust or at least their cooperation. All of those villages were pretty remote, so mostly it was enough to make arrangements with the local youkai. In a way, you could probably say we were just taming them – I think Lord Seibunishi had further plans with them, but I can't even begin to guess what they were."

"Strange. What could he want from a few humans…" Akahito wondered aloud. "And the village just now was one of those, too?"

"Yes, exactly," Okakura agreed. "I got to know Fumito's Grandfather in the process and have kept in touch with the family over the last few decades. Since the village _mysteriously_ is the only place in the forest that seems to be left in peace by youkai, its inhabitants are leading relatively easy and comfortable lives. And knowing who they owe it to, the innkeepers have always been a willing and reliable source of information."

"Except for the daughter," Akahito taunted. "She almost wet herself."

Okakura nodded. "In the beginning, it almost always takes some time for humans to adjust. The knowledge that you could kill them, and their whole village along with them, touches an old fear that humanity has probably ingrained deep within their memory from the moment of their birth. I should probably plan in some time to get to know Suki to keep the contact alive - it's hard work for a youkai to build up an acquaintance out of the blue, and being able to get some human information has been useful a number of times already."

"But how exactly was it useful this time?" Akahito asked. "So this mining village was also on the list back then – big deal."

"Well, it's not just that," Okakura replied. "The area around the village would make a great area for an invasion. It's on the outskirts of our territory, so it would take a while until we got word via normal youkai ways. If someone made his move there, neither the youkai nor the humans would know about it for quite a while. And even when we finally hear about it, it would take some time to rally our forces."

"That may all be good and true," Akahito said. "But that's got to be the case for a number of human villages."

"There's more," Okakura continued. "Out of all villages that Lord Seibunishi had on his list, this mining village is the only one that was destroyed, and very mysteriously at that. To be exact, today's village is another, built on the ruins of the old one. One could assume that it was destroyed deliberately to lay the cornerstone for an attack."

"How long ago was that?" Akahito wanted to know.

"Fifty years ago – you have take into account that the leader of our enemy is a very old youkai who's said to be an excellent strategist. It's not that far-fetched."

"A plan spanning fifty years…" Akahito said with disbelief in his voice. "I wasn't even born back then."

"It's normal that you're not thinking long-term. You're not even forty," Okakura said. "That's nothing compared to the age of an elder youkai."

Akahito hummed, seemingly still unconvinced. "This still sounds like a lot of guesswork to me."

"I have one last puzzle piece that I'd like to share with you," Okakura replied. "Do you remember where we met Inuyasha?"

Predictably, Akahito growled at hearing the name of the hanyou. "Inuyasha. Does _everything_ have to be about him? Ungrateful hanyou bastard."

Okakura laughed. "You still haven't overcome losing to him, have you?"

"Of course not!" Akahito barked back. "Next time I meet him, I'll pay him back!"

"You better come up with a very good plan," Okakura said good-naturedly. "You don't stand a chance head-on."

Akahito growled again. "He was just lucky!"

"He wasn't, and you should know it," Okakura disagreed. "Physically, you're about even, but he's probably years ahead when it comes to fighting with his life on the line. You won't be able to bridge that gap in only a few weeks."

"Are you telling me to just accept defeat?" Akahito demanded.

"I've just told you that you better come up with a good plan," Okakura said. "Nothing has changed about that."

"Like what?"

"Like attacking his weaknesses, working with your strengths – the kind of thing that's been done since the beginning of time," Okakura said. "You'll have to come up with something yourself - if the idea isn't your own, it's meaningless."

Akahito seemed to think about his words and Okakura took the opportunity to return to the original topic. "Anyway, you do remember where we met Inuyasha?"

"Of course!" Akahito growled. "On some human road, because his human friends are too weak to travel through the forest."

"And, if you had to make just one guess, where do you think you'll turn up if you follow this road for a few days?" Okakura asked. "Or, putting it another way, where were Inuyasha and his friends coming from?"

Akahito thought about it. "The mining village," he stated after a second.

"Exactly!" Okakura agreed. "Say what you will, but that's one coincidence too many – something is fishy, I can feel it. We're going to pay it a visit."

* * *

I feel a bit bad for posting a chapter with only my own characters, especially since it's been a while since the last update. However! It took so long because I was already writing on the next bit (which _is_ about Inuyasha&Co), but it became long enough to deserve its own chapter. Please bear with me – the next update should be considerably quicker since I have a head-start.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)


	31. Chapter 30: Loneliness

**Settle the Score**_  
by Chri_

**Author rantings:  
**Here's the next chapter. I'm glad I could keep my word to post the next chapter sooner: it's been less than a month. Which, considering that I'm working full time, I'm quite happy with. Also, as promised, no original characters this time. :) Have fun!

**April 5****th****, 2009: **Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Mercenary_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell _and _dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 30**

_And still our lives passes by  
Day after day, we never speak  
Sometimes we start to wonder why  
But then we're going back to sleep_

_**Loneliness**_

Inuyasha was breathing deeply - a steady rhythm. Filling his lungs with fresh air, exhaling it again.

Trees passed by, one after the other, seemingly without end.

He was still running, although he felt he was approaching his limit. It was already late afternoon, and he had spent the day almost exclusively on the move.

It would be an exaggeration to say he was sprinting – in fact, he thought he was considerably slower than he would have both liked and expected. He had told himself that it was because he tried to stay off the beaten path and and do his best to keep out of both youkai and human territories. But he would be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge that despite everything, he usually would have been faster.

He concluded that it had to be the aftermath of his injury. He wasn't sure how seriously he'd been hurt, or even for how long he had been unconscious; but judging from how he felt, it must have been pretty severe. At least, it wouldn't have hurt to rest for another day or two.

Rest, however, wasn't an option in his current position. He felt like this was his only chance of ever finding out what had happened to him, and his mother. He didn't want to take any chances.

He was also still running because it kept him occupied. Every time his mind wandered in the direction of Kagome, it seemed to stop working coherently. He felt great for leaving her; he felt devastated for losing her. Exhilaration in one moment, pain in the next – it was like his own mind was trying to pull him in two.

So he continued, concentrating on leaving no trail, when he wasn't even sure why he didn't want to leave one. Was he afraid his friends would find him? Did he want them to catch up with him, so he wasted time being sneaky? Or was he simply distracting himself?

Even though he did his best to avoid them, these questions and thoughts were confusing him, gnawing at him at the edge of his consciousness. Always lurking, waiting for their chance to catch his attention.

The traitorous voice telling him that he couldn't run forever was getting louder, gaining increasing support of his exhausted body. But for the moment, Inuyasha was still able to deny it, and he pressed on.

o o o o o

Sango leaned to the side, instinctively tightening her hold on Kirara. Behind her, she felt Miroku tensing – it was kind of funny that he was obviously still afraid that she would fall off. She'd grown up with Kirara, and the cat youkai had let her ride as soon she'd been able to walk. She felt confident that she could stop both Miroku and herself from plummeting to the ground.

Sango turned her head around, giving the monk a reassuring smile. She felt him relax, even if he looked at her a bit accusingly.

"You worried I'd fall off?" she asked teasingly.

Miroku muttered something to the heavens, but smiled back afterwards.

Returning to her initial intention, Sango looked down. Kagome was right below, following the trail of the road on her bike.

Sango had been skeptical, not believing that Kagome could keep up a long pursuit, and had tried to convince her friend of leaving the bike behind. Nonetheless, Kagome had insisted on it for Kirara's sake, arguing that they'd catch up faster if the cat youkai had to carry one less person.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" Sango shouted down.

Kagome looked up and shouted back, "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'll tell you if I'm exhausted."

Sango nodded at her friend and sat straight again. It seemed like it had been the right decision. She had known that Kagome could last a while on her metal construct, but she had seriously misjudged the speed that her friend could sustain. The resourcefulness of the people in Kagome's time was amazing... Keeping up with a cat youkai entirely on your own – it was like magic. It even looked like Kagome wouldn't take up Miroku's offer to switch with her when she got tired.

But despite all the good reasons, Sango wondered if her friend hadn't been so adamant about going by bike because she'd needed some time for herself.

Before they'd set off today, Sango had diplomatically told Kagome that she could talk with her, but her friend had politely declined. Since they had really been in a hurry, Sango had let it pass. She couldn't say she was happy with the outcome, though – there were too many secrets between them lately.

When Inuyasha had still been unconscious, Kagome had told her that they'd had a misunderstanding in her time, but nothing more. This morning, Sango had also noticed that her friend had been rather reluctant to travel back through the well, likely because of that misunderstanding. When Kagome had returned, she'd seemed even unhappier than before, despite her iron resolve to go after Inuyasha.

Sango could only guess what had happened in the future – Kagome had been away for a while, but not exceptionally long. It was, however, a bit unusual for her to return without anything from her time. Often, she would take food that didn't turn bad with her, or other strange things.

Sango turned her gaze at the setting sun, getting a pretty good view thanks to Kirara flying quite far above the ground. The clouds were an almost golden color, while the sky was already a dark shade of blue. For a while, she watched the impressive scenery, although it made her feel a bit melancholic.

Letting her mind drift, her thoughts turned to Inuyasha. How far ahead was he?

Somehow, she felt lonely for a moment. It was as if an invisible wall was separating them - herself up in the air, Kagome down below, and Inuyasha nowhere around.

Sango tried to shake off the feeling, but she feared that it was not just her imagination. Without the hanyou, their group wasn't the same. Kagome wasn't the same, either.

At least Miroku was still with her. Sango leaned back a bit against the monk, carefully so that she wouldn't startle him again.

"Sango?" he asked.

"The sunset's beautiful, isn't it?" Sango replied.

"Yes," Miroku agreed. He drew breath as if he wanted to say more, but then he stayed quiet, leaning against her.

Sango closed her eyes. As long as she had Miroku, she thought that she could manage. For just a moment, she let herself relax.

"You know," Miroku said after a while, "I think that Inuyasha, wherever he is right now… He is also watching this, just like us."

Somehow, the idea moved Sango to tears. "Yes," she said, watching the sun vanish behind the horizon. "I'm sure he is."

Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes, trying to keep her feelings under control. It took her some time to calm down. "Thank you," she said finally.

Miroku gave her a hug. "You're welcome."

Sango felt better. They would find Inuyasha, and they would make up with him. Nothing was over.

She continued watching the sunset, the world below her becoming dark. Turning her thoughts back to the present, she wondered whether it was a good idea to continue without sunlight.

"Sango, I think that's it for today," she heard Kagome shout up, who had obviously asked herself the same question.

"All right!" Sango answered and nodded at Kirara.

The cat youkai landed and laid down. While getting off, Sango noticed that Miroku held his arm very stiffly – it probably hadn't been a good idea to abandon the noose already. It was only a few days since Isobe had cut him, after all. Remembering Miroku's nervous reaction to her leaning to the side, she wondered if he just hadn't wanted the arm immobilized during the flight with Kirara.

After stretching herself, Sango took a quick look at the area, as long as there still was a little light. They were at the edge of a forest, the road following the outskirts. It should provide some cover, as well as firewood. All in all, she thought that it was a good spot to set up a camp.

She saw Kirara change into her small form and curl up next to a tree. _'Looks like she's tired, too,'_ Sango thought. Well, it was no wonder; they had covered a lot of ground that day.

On the plus side, they'd had a few days rest. Maybe she was too optimistic, but she thought that they should reach the mining village the next day.

Looking around, Sango noticed that she was missing someone. "Where's Shippou?" she asked. "Wasn't he with you, Kagome?"

Kagome just leaned her bike against a tree. After making sure that it stood firmly, she turned around and answered, "He hopped out of the basket as soon as I stopped. He said he wanted to go training."

"Oh, all right," Sango said. She worried for a moment about leaving Shippou alone now that the sun went down, but there wasn't much she could do. At least he had given notice of departure this time, unlike the day before.

"Such a shame that it's already dark," Kagome said in an annoyed tone, walking over. "I could still have continued, but the road's pretty bad here. Even with the spotlight on the bike, it would be easy to overlook a root growing out of the ground or a stone lying in the way."

Sango was sure that Kagome actually tried to keep her impatience from showing, but without too much success. Seeing her friend's frustration, Sango suspected that Kagome had also needed to do something by herself and would probably have gone crazy riding on Kirara all day long.

In a way, Sango thought it was a good sign that Kagome was able to call it a day despite everything - it really wouldn't have made sense to continue. To avoid damaging the bike or even hurting herself, she would have had to continue in a much slower tempo. It was smarter to rest now and continue with renewed energy in the morning.

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that they were forced to rest – Kagome might have continued to chase after Inuyasha until she exhausted herself. _'Well, I guess being restless is better than her __wallowing in misery.'_

They decided to set up camp a minute's way offside the road. Soon, a little fire was crackling, providing them with light and warmth. They made themselves dinner, not talking much.

While they ate, Sango was relieved to see that Kagome seemed to have a healthy appetite. It was important to stay in good condition - the next day would also be straining, with an uncertain situation waiting for them at their destination.

"Miroku, Sango," Kagome said after they'd finished eating, "I had a lot of time to think today. Now that Shippou's away, I'd like to talk to you…"

"Of course," Sango replied, glad that her friend made the first step. "We're listening."

"A lot has happened in the last few days, although it should have been a time to rebuild and relax," Kagome started. "And I think that a main reason for all the trouble was that we've been keeping secrets from each other. It would be stupid to get into more trouble for the same reason."

Kagome stopped and gulped. "Really, I also need to talk about it with someone. I don't know what Inuyasha will think about this; I guess he won't be happy. If possible, please don't let him know that I let you in."

"My lips are sealed," Miroku said.

Sango nodded. "You can count on us."

"That's all I'm asking for," Kagome said and gave them a small smile. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "I guess it's best to start with what happened in my time. Things didn't really go smoothly there…"

"Did Inuyasha have trouble with your mother?" Miroku asked. "I can see how his direct disposition wouldn't go down well with someone's parent."

"Not in that way, no," Kagome replied, shaking her head. "It started on the new moon's eve. We offered to let Inuyasha stay at our place and he agreed. Because Souta suggested it, Inuyasha ended up sleeping in my brother's room. I also went to bed and was about to fall asleep, when I suddenly heard my brother crying out."

Kagome sighed. "When I rushed over to Souta's room, it was already too late. Inuyasha had fallen asleep and my brother tried to take Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha, startled awake, defended himself on reflex and dislocated Souta's arm."

Sango gasped. "No! What-"

"To make a long story short, my mother immediately took Souta to the doctor, and he's going to be fine," Kagome continued quickly, cutting off Sango. "However, the problem is that Inuyasha never got the chance to apologize - when we returned to the past, we actually had planned to just check if everything was all right with you."

"That's just…" Sango struggled for words. "He could have… I don't know what to say."

"What a mess…" Miroku said. "So, the last time your mother saw Inuyasha was right after he dislocated her son's arm?"

Kagome nodded. "Right."

"The fool," Miroku said. "He's making everything worse by running off like that."

A silence ensued. Sango thought about what Kagome had told them. It was among the worst things to happen, short of Inuyasha going berserk. It also made her wonder – could something like that have happened to any of them? She remembered how Inuyasha had thrown Miroku a week ago: although the monk had a lot of fighting experience, he had been caught off guard by the unexpected attack. Inuyasha had acted on reflex then, too.

"Lady Kagome, how are things currently at your home?" Miroku asked, cutting off Sango's train of thought.

"That's… what I needed to talk about. Sango, Miroku, you know that I would never choose to abandon you," Kagome said slowly. Sango could almost see the energy draining out of her friend. "But, today my mother told me not to return to the past."

Sango gulped. Maybe it was stupid, but she had never thought about Kagome's mother forbidding her daughter from continuing on her quest. In fact, it wasn't far-fetched at all – who would like to risk their children for people they didn't even know, for a world that wasn't their own?

She felt incredibly helpless. She could fight against a youkai, or talk her way out of a fight, but this was a situation she could do nothing about. Neither force nor persuasion was an option. The well was an impenetrable barrier against anything she could do.

It wasn't about the jewel or Naraku. First and foremost, Sango felt like she was about to lose a friend. No, a member of her family. Inuyasha already had left – was this the beginning of the end? Was she about to lose everyone she knew again?

"Why, all of a sudden?" Sango asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "You traveled back after the fight with Hachiro, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I could convince my mother that Inuyasha was badly hurt, and that he would visit as soon as possible. It was the truth. At least I thought so," Kagome answered. "But this time… my mother was even more suspicious. She continued asking questions, and my answers just weren't enough."

Kagome stopped, wiping at her eyes. "I mean, she's my mother," she continued in a thick voice. "I told her the whole story, hoping she would understand."

She looked at Miroku, then at Sango. "I… I feel like I'm losing the ground under my feet. I'm on the middle of a bridge, the bridge is collapsing, and I'll fall if stop running for just a moment."

Kagome started to cry. Sango looked at her friend sympathetically. On impulse, she walked over and took her in her arms. "It's all right, Kagome," she said soothingly. "We're here for you. You're not on your own."

She could also feel tears stinging in her eyes. "We might stumble, but we won't let each other fall. We won't allow one of us to fall from the bridge." She hoped that it calmed Kagome as much as it calmed herself. "If I were to stumble, you'd catch me, wouldn't you?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes," she sniffed.

"See," Sango said, letting go of her friend. She took Kagome's hands in hers, giving them a squeeze. "And just the same, we also won't let you down, and we won't let Inuyasha down, either."

"Sango is right," Miroku chimed in. "Don't forget that we're all here for you."

Kagome wiped at her eyes. "It's just that… It's like I'm living two lives and now both are falling apart."

"How did you part with your mother?" Miroku asked.

"I... I ran away," Kagome answered. "She wouldn't let me go, no matter what I said! I didn't know what to else to do..."

The conversation momentarily came to a stop.

"It's a pretty complicated situation, I admit," Miroku said after a while. "But I think it's also emotions running high, especially on the side of your mother. She must have worried a lot about you these last months. I don't know her in person, but so far I have heard only good things about her. When everybody has calmed down, do you think you can have a serious discussion with her?"

"I don't know. I just don't know..." Kagome said hesitantly. "We've never had a fight like this."

She stopped, looking directly at Miroku. "I don't have any experience with running away from home, you know?"

"Of course," Miroku said in a pacifying voice. "But I think that's a good sign that you two usually get along. That's not always the case between mother and daughter." He sighed. "What your mother is afraid of is probably that her daughter is facing all kind of dangers on her own. But you're not alone - we're all taking care of each other. I think that your mother, once you've explained that to her, will understand as well."

"You think so?" Kagome asked.

Miroku nodded. "That's my honest opinion. We're searching for Inuyasha not each on our own, but as a group. Because he's our friend – whatever trouble he charges into, we'll help him with it. As awkward it might be, I think right now we're really pressed for time. In that light, I think you made the right decision to help Inuyasha now and sort out the issues with your mother later."

"Thank you…" Kagome said, her voice calmer.

"It's a shame that Miroku and I can't travel through the well," Sango chimed in. "I'm sure we would make a good impression on your family. As long as Miroku could keep his hands to himself, that is."

"I'd try to resist, really," Miroku said, getting a small laugh out of both girls.

"She's just worried about you," Sango continued. "She's your mother, after all. Maybe we could pay a painter to draw a portrait? That way, she'll get to know us, at least a bit."

The idea had come to Sango on impulse, but she quite liked it. Even if the well didn't let her pass in person, this might be a way to establish a kind of contact. Kagome also seemed to be thinking about it.

It wouldn't be too hard to find a painter; most settlements above a certain size usually had someone talented enough. It wouldn't cost an arm and a leg, either.

"I think I might have an idea," Kagome said. "Let me sleep about it."

Sango nodded. "All right."

"Anyway, I think it would be best to keep everything secret from Shippou," Kagome said, her tone becoming serious again. "He's always on edge when I go to my time, even when there isn't any trouble. I don't want to worry him needlessly."

She stopped for a second, looking up at the sky, before she continued, "Also, I don't want to scare him about Inuyasha. It's not like any of us is in danger."

"How did Inuyasha explain himself?" Miroku asked in a neutral voice.

Sango looked over to him, once again impressed by his subtlety. He diplomatically called Kagome's statement to question, without being rude about it. _'Looks like he hasn't forgotten about being thrown by Inuyasha, either…'_

"He was very unhappy with himself," Kagome answered in an even tone. "Still, he believably explained that it only happened because he was human. Without his exceptional senses, he didn't notice Souta approaching. And when he awoke, it was dark, he couldn't see - also something he isn't used to. I was very angry with him, but he convinced me."

"Well, we just have to watch out not to startle him when he's human," Sango said, trying to lighten the mood.

"He said he's never slept before as a human," Kagome said. "He only fell asleep because he was so tired – you remember the headache and everything. I guess without his youkai powers he was too exhausted to stay awake."

Sango thought about it – Inuyasha's story sounded credible. He probably couldn't even come up with such a good explanation on the fly. Also, she didn't think that the hanyou would lie about it.

"I think it's better to worry about it after we've caught up with Inuyasha," Miroku said. "He's got his unique behavior and he'll have to find an apology that fits him. It won't sound honest, otherwise."

"You're probably right," Kagome said and sighed. "That doesn't make it any easier, though."

After that, the conversation died down. Shippou came back after a while, but even the usually talkative fox demon was tight-lipped. When they asked him if he wanted something to eat, he curtly told them that he had found something on his own. Sango thought that he sounded a bit proud about it, but maybe it was just her imagination.

Since it had been a long day, with another one lying ahead, they went to sleep early.

While falling asleep, Sango felt the forlorn feeling creeping up on her again. _'It's not over,' _she told herself. _'When Inuyasha's back, we can fix the whole mess.'_

o o o o o

Inuyasha cursed at himself. He'd gone on too long and now he paid for his obstinacy. He should have stopped before sundown, but night had fallen at least an hour ago. He was exhausted to the point where it felt like his body reacted to his wishes only reluctantly.

He also cursed at the youkai that was closing up on him - once in his life he tried to avoid a confrontation, and the bastard continued giving chase beyond all reason. He'd tried to outrun his pursuer as soon as his nose had noticed him, but so far without any success.

'_I'll have to face him,'_Inuyasha thought. _'I'm just wasting what little energy I have left.'_

He gave finding another plan a final try, but couldn't come up with anything. Telling himself that it would just get worse the longer he delayed the inevitable, he came to a stop and turned around.

He had a little time, but not much. He looked around, trying to find something to use to his advantage. But although he could see well enough without sunlight, nothing special caught his eye. He was in the middle of the forest, and there was little but trees and more trees.

Damn.

He leaned forward, supporting himself on his knees, and tried to get his breathing under control. He'd have to watch out. He had used too much of his strength - taking too many hits wasn't a good idea. Maybe he could still avoid a fight?

Yeah, right.

Having somewhat pulled himself together, he drew Tetsusaiga. When he tried to transform it, nothing happened.

'_What the hell?'_ Inuyasha thought, staring at the dull and essentially useless blade.

He shook it and tried again, successfully this time. He suspiciously eyed Tetsusaiga and took a swing. It felt heavier than usual, but that was probably just his exhaustion. At least it wasn't as bad as after the time it had been broken. Before killing the dragon Ryuukotsusei, he'd hardly been able to swing it.

Any further contemplation was cut off as his pursuer caught up, finally appearing out of the darkness. The youkai was at least twice as tall as him, with a bestial face that had oversized teeth growing out. The body looked bulky, yet muscular – his pursuer was moving quite fast for his build. Dark fur covering the whole body and sharp claws on each hand completed the picture of a youkai that relied mostly on physical prowess.

Inuyasha racked his brain, but he couldn't remember ever encountering a youkai like it. He blessed his good luck for what appeared to be a simple-minded opponent, judging from the way he just kept charging straight at him.

Inuyasha waited until the youkai was in perfect range, reading himself, and swung Tetsusaiga for a Kaze no Kizu.

After a moment, he registered that Tetsusaiga's special move hadn't worked. Caught by surprise, he gave the sword a disbelieving look, but it was still transformed. When he looked back, adrenalin surged through his body: claws the size of daggers were closing in on him.

Acting on reflex, Inuyasha jumped out of the way of the strike, but couldn't avoid colliding with his massive opponent. Inuyasha was knocked to the side and crashed heavily into a tree, feeling a sharp pain in his back. When he fell to the ground, it stung again, even worse than at first. Black dots started dancing before his eyes, but he kept his attention on his opponent who was still carried on by momentum, but finally coming to a stop.

Inuyasha shook himself, trying to clear his head, and got to his feet. "What the hell do you want?" he shouted, trying to buy time.

The youkai laughed. "Hanyou…" he said in a deep voice. "You've soiled the ground of my land with your dirty feet. For that, I will tear you in two and leave your unworthy corpse to the worms."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes - the same old story as always. Who the hell had ever decided that a hanyou was to be killed on sight?

Acting on impulse, he sheathed Tetsusaiga and charged at his opponent. The youkai in turn also started towards him, both going at each other with their claws.

Without the heavy sword and not being surprised, Inuyasha proved to be quicker. He ducked under his the strike of his opponent, rather easily since he wasn't even half the youkai's size, and then jumped up.

"Sankon Tessou!"

His attack took out a chunk of the youkai's chest. The wound was probably already lethal – his opponent swayed and stumbled to the ground. Not taking any chances, Inuyasha jumped on the back of the youkai and dealt him another Sankon Tessou to the neck.

Still alert, he waited, but his opponent wasn't moving an inch. "Who's meeting with the worms now?" Inuyasha mumbled, staring at the dead youkai. "Asshole."

With the chase finally over, Inuyasha felt like all his strength suddenly left him. He trudged to the nearest tree and sat against it, careful to avoid leaning against where it hurt.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. He guessed that a rib was at least bruised, judging from the way even breathing was painful.

"I'm such an idiot…" he mumbled.

The new injury was completely unnecessary. If he hadn't gone on until he was so exhausted, it wouldn't have happened. He'd been slow, with both his body and his mind. He chided himself for getting distracted by his own sword… _'I was a hair's breadth away from being skewered…'_ Inuyasha thought, involuntarily shivering.

And yet, he could count himself lucky. If his opponent hadn't been such a weak youkai, it might have turned out a lot worse. If he hadn't run into this youkai, he would still be running – right into the arms of a really strong one, probably.

Why hadn't he stopped sooner?

Kagome.

Unbidden, her image flashed before his inner eye. He had hoped that a day would ease his mind. But it hadn't, not at all. Instead, it was all even more intense. He missed her - it was useless to deny it.

But again, he remembered how she had sat him, making him seethe with anger. Unforgivable.

"Damn you," he growled.

He'd made the right decision, he told himself. She had broken her promise not to sit him in the worst possible way. If this wasn't where he drew the line – where else? Kagome had betrayed him, right into the hands of his enemy.

He looked down at himself, taking the rosary into his hand. It had given her an incredible power over him. And despite the humiliation, he'd grown used to it, not thinking too much about it when she made him eat dirt.

Only once, it had been too much, with Eiji. Kagome had sat him, right in front of the bastard. But he had stood his ground, and Kagome had conceded. In fact, she'd even agreed that she wouldn't sit him anymore. Would it have been different if he'd shown some backbone more often? Was it as much his own fault as it was hers, for giving in every single time she sat him?

Could he still be together with his friends, together with Kagome?

"Stop it, you idiot!" Inuyasha cursed, angry with himself. Despite everything, he was still thinking about her.

Eiji had made fun of him for the way he had been sat. _'Osuwari!'_ the bastard had laughed when Kagome had sat him. _'Like the dog you are!'_

He'd hated him for it – but the old man had hit the nail on the head. He was like a whipped dog, wanting to return to its master even after a horrible beating.

"But not anymore!" he told himself. He had wanted friends, tired of being alone. But if he was just taken advantage of, what was the point? He had survived on his own. Even if he missed them – he didn't need them. He would survive again.

He forced his thoughts away, turning to Hachiro, Haranobu – whatever his name was. This was his goal now, and he wasn't running away. He was giving chase. The key to his past, to his forgotten childhood, to the knowledge what had happened to both himself and his mother relied on it. He had to know the truth.

He was absolutely sure that it was the same person. But how was it possible? Eiji, who had been a kid back then, was now an old man. Why did Haranobu still look just like he remembered him? It wasn't just some trick. Their fight had proven that Haranobu was physically in top condition. He had to use some kind of magic - it was the only possibility. And Sango had said that Haranobu had just vanished, which didn't leave many other options.

So Haranobu had left mysteriously – but where to? Inuyasha's goal was the mining village, but only because it was his only clue. What would he do if he didn't find him or any more clues there? Had his chance already passed?

At the thought, a wave of relief washed over Inuyasha. He blinked, both surprised and disgusted with himself.

He noticed that he had formed fists with his hands. He was breathing quickly, as if preparing for another fight. "Damn it!" he cursed. Again, like this morning - just thinking about Haranobu sent a shiver down his spine.

"But I won't give up," Inuyasha told himself. Fear was something that had to be conquered. It was a harsh world. He couldn't afford to let feelings cloud his judgment.

To distract himself, he took a look at Tetsusaiga. What the hell was wrong with the sword? At first, it wouldn't transform, and then the Kaze no Kizu misfired.

He remembered that it wasn't the first time that Tetsusaiga had problems. During his fight with the two dog demons, it had untransformed in the middle of the fight. And during his fight with Haranobu, it hadn't transformed at all.

He drew Tetsusaiga out of the scabbard, finding it as dull and dented as ever. He concentrated on transforming the sword, and it grew into its big form just fine. He skeptically investigated the blade. But even after looking it over twice, he hadn't found any visible weaknesses.

He racked his brain to remember if something unusual had happened to Tetsusaiga, but couldn't come up with anything. At the fight with the magpie youkai, it had still worked. And then suddenly, those glitches had started – this was the third time already.

Maybe it wasn't the blade, but himself? He'd had the worst headache during his fight with Akahito, and he had been exhausted in this fight. Maybe he just hadn't been able to concentrate properly?

It was an explanation, but Inuyasha didn't really believe it. Something felt wrong, though he couldn't put his finger on it. In any case, he probably should no longer bet his life on the sword until he found out what was wrong with it.

Giving Tetsusaiga an accusing stare, he sheathed the blade. It couldn't have picked a worse moment to screw around. In addition to being an excellent fighter, Haranobu seemed to have a few tricks up his sleeve. If he couldn't rely on Tetsusaiga, it considerably weakened his position.

This brought him to the next question – Sango had explained that Haranobu had followed them because of the whole werewolf thing. But had he told her the truth – or had the bastard actually wanted to hunt him down and just told her a bogus story? However, for someone trying to hunt him down, Haranobu hadn't been terribly well prepared. _'I would have had the upper hand, if Kagome hadn't sat me.'_

Inuyasha closed his eyes, grinding his teeth. _Kagome_. Sitting him in front of Haranobu, just when he'd been so close to winning. _Osuwari_. A single word, turning his world upside down. _Helpless_. In front of his worst enemy.

Adrenaline rushed through his body. He reflexively tensed, looking around. Of course, nobody was there. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Inuyasha tried to calm down and get his breathing under control. _'Stop it, you idiot!'_ he chided himself. Every single intake of air sent a small sting through his back. _'You need to rest! What's wrong with you?'_

Consciously, he took slow, deep breaths. He had to pull himself together. The past was over. It had been a close brush with death, but he was still alive.

When his heartbeat returned to normal, intending to follow his own advice, he looked around for a place to rest. Though he wasn't keen on it, he really needed a good night's sleep. For the first time, he really felt the practical implications of splitting up with his friends. Before, he'd had the assurance that their group could hardly be taken by surprise in their sleep, but now he could only rely on himself. And while he knew that he was a light sleeper, he wasn't sure that he'd wake up quickly in his current condition. He didn't recognize the area, and for all he knew, the youkai was part of a tribe.

Still, the thought didn't make him change his mind. Wherever he went, somebody would try to kill him. Here was as good a place to rest as any other.

He looked for an acceptable tree, seeking the relative safety of a branch a good way above the ground. After deciding, he braced himself and jumped up. There was a sharp pain in his back, and a muffled cry escaped him, but he made it. Carefully, he leaned against the trunk and tried to find a position that didn't turn every single breath into a test of willpower.

When he had finally settled, he placed Tetsusaiga against his shoulder and half-closed his eyes, intending to call it a day.

The minutes went by, and his breathing slowed.

But for some reason, he couldn't fall asleep. He felt uncomfortable. Something was amiss.

Another minute passed. And then, he noticed it.

Silence.

Complete and utter silence.

Usually, his friends would exchange a few last words before everyone fell asleep: a comment about an adventure, a small joke or just a simple good night. Their breaths would slow; every now and then, somebody would turn from one side to the other. A campfire would crackle happily, slowly burning down.

Instead, he sat here - just him, in the dark.

Never before, not even during the months in his forest, had Inuyasha felt so alone. He looked at his claws, still sticky with blood that he hadn't cared to wipe off.

Him against the world - that's how it had been.

But now he knew - that's how it would always be.


	32. Chapter 31: Torn

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**May 27****th****, 2009: **Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Ednaswap_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _and _JMaxwell _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 31**

_Illusion never changed  
into something real_

_**Torn**_

Inuyasha awoke with a cry. He briefly looked around. It was still dark, and he was still up in his tree.

No one was there but him.

'_Again,'_ Inuyasha thought with a mixture of anger and confusion.

He was sweating and breathing quickly, feeling like he had overexerted himself.

"Damn," he cursed, relaxing his tense grip on Tetsusaiga. This was the third time he'd awakened tonight because of some stupid dream. He tried to remember the nightmare – but like before, he couldn't. It lingered, so close, yet still outside his reach.

Enervated, he racked his brain, trying to force it. If he remembered, maybe he would finally be able to sleep. He furrowed his brow, trying with all his might.

After a minute without success, he gave up with a growl. Although he felt like it was just a step away, the dream wouldn't return.

And he still felt queasy, like something was hindering his breathing.

'_It's just the rib,'_ he told himself, wiping off his forehead. Glad for finding something else to concentrate on, he leaned back carefully, checking how the injury was healing. He quickly stopped. Though it was getting better, by the feel of it, it still hurt.

He guessed that it was a couple of hours till sunrise - if it wasn't fully healed by then, he could still decide whether to continue or rest some more.

He noticed how much it had become a habit to think of sunrise as the deadline. During the last several months, when he had been hurt, that had always been the time frame to heal. If it took longer, it meant that everyone would notice that he'd been hurt worse than he had admitted.

With a small smile, Inuyasha remembered the times it had worked out. He had to keep up against his enemies for obvious reasons, but he also couldn't stand the thought that a human was tougher than him.

His smile froze when he realized once more that those times were over. Just him on his own, unable to find sleep. Was this really his future? He could survive, yes – but was that it? Just hanging onto his measly life until someone finally did him in?

If he had died this night, no one would have known or cared. Food for the worms, left in the middle of nowhere.

"Stop it," he ordered himself. He angrily wiped at his eyes. Self-pity was the last thing he could afford.

'_If I set my mind to it, I can settle down somewhere,'_ he told himself. He was strong; he could help with physical tasks. He was a good fighter and could offer protection. He remembered the time he visited Kikyou's village for the first time, right after hearing about the Shikon no Tama. They had fucking _cheered_ for him, thinking of him as their guardian! He had been so surprised by their reaction that he almost turned around and left, abandoning his plan to get the jewel.

He had met a lot of humans on his journey; surely he could find a place to live.

But, would he ever _really_ fit in? He closed his eyes, thinking of all the time he had spent in Kaede's village in the last months. Not counting the old miko, he had hardly ever talked with any of the villagers there.

It had been even worse fifty years ago with Kikyou. After they had made peace, he'd never set foot into the village - she had always come to visit him.

But even now, although the villagers were used to him, there still was something between them. Like an invisible wall, dictating that they belonged on the one side and he belonged on the other. His place had never been with them.

Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou – they'd been the ones he cared about. Meeting them had been a string of coincidences, befriending them was more than he could have hoped for.

Could he really afford to split up with them?

So far, all of his friends had been extraordinary people. Nonetheless, befriending them had involved a lot of luck. In fact, most of the persons he cared for had earnestly tried to kill him at first – Miroku, Sango, even Kikyou. What did that say about his friends? Maybe even more importantly, what did that say about himself?

'_I'm pathetic,'_ Inuyasha thought, feeling miserable. _'I'm so pathetic that I can't even choose my friends.'_

This had to stop. If his only friends were people that tried to kill, rob or use him, he was better off without them.

Still, he noticed how much he really hated being alone, now that he'd had a taste of the merits of company.

Deciding to ignore the dilemma, he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

o o o o o

I'm supporting my mom, helping her walk. I told her that I could carry her, but she's stubborn. I wonder if she really can carry on. I think her legs are getting worse, but she says I'm imagining things. Her burns smell more awful every passing hour.

The forest doesn't seem to end, but I'm glad about that. At least it's peaceful here, and it's just me and mom. After our narrow escape, the forest seems more inviting than anywhere else I can think of.

If I had noticed the smoke only half a minute later, we wouldn't have been able to get away. My home – a fiery trap. I can't understand how humans are comforted by the presence of fire.

They tried to kill us. The people I've lived with for almost as long as I can remember. I'll never forget them standing in front of our burning hut.

My mother had told me not to look back. I should have listened to her.

Even my friends. I'll forever remember Eiji, the light of his torch illuminating the grin on his face.

The memory has been haunting me for the last two days.

I wonder if they didn't notice us flee through the back, or if they just didn't care. I don't know which thought scares me more.

"Inuyasha, are you tired?" my mother asks, snapping me back to reality.

"No, I'm all right," I answer with all the determination I can muster, not wanting her to think different.

"I'm glad," she says sincerely.

Her strained smile worries me more than anything else. I want to ask if she wants to rest, but I have second thoughts. She never listens to me.

"To be honest," I say meekly after a minute, "I am a bit tired. Is it okay to rest for a while?"

"Of course," she says. "You should have told me sooner!"

I smile and fake a hint of guilt into my voice. "It wasn't that bad…"

She sits down against a tree, catching her breath. I'm glad she's finally resting. Her face is as white as chalk.

"Really, just tell me," she says. "I can walk on my own, you know?"

Her confident tone is belied by the sweat glinting on her brow.

I curse inwardly; my master plan is backfiring. Will she not even let me support her?

"No, no," I say quickly. I try to find a plausible excuse, frantically searching for the rights words, but I can't.

"I just think _you_ have to rest," I finally admit. I step before her determinedly, hoping to stop her from trying to stand up again.

My mother gives me an inquiring look, and I stare right back. For a moment, it's completely silent, not even a breath can be heard.

Finally, she smiles at me, a bit sadly. "You know, for a moment, you reminded me of your father," she says.

I'm taken by surprise, not understanding what she means. I don't really remember him, only the stories I've been told.

"He was a great man," she says. "I'm sure you'll become one as well."

I feel proud and grin sheepishly, scratching the back of my head.

"Come here," she says with a smile and I follow. She takes me into her arms and hugs me. With a deep breath, she smells my hair, and I relax into her embrace.

She holds me for a while until, finally, she lets go. "So, you're not tired?"

I resolutely shake my head. "I told you I can carry you!" I answer with determination.

"Sometimes, you grow up much too quickly," she says, looking away. "I'm sorry."

"Mom?" I ask, surprised by her sudden change of mood. "You're not that heavy, don't worry."

She laughs out loud, but it sounds a bit like a cry. I look at her confusedly, unsure what's wrong. She stares to the side, her gaze fixed on some undefined point in the distance.

After a while, she focuses on me again. Her smile looks like a mask, not reaching her eyes.

She's worried about something, I can smell it.

"Mom?" I repeat uncertainly. "Do… do you think they're following us?"

After a moment of thought, she shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. Even if they did, they've lost our trail by now."

She sounds sincere enough, and I don't have another guess about what's on her mind.

"Inuyasha," she says after a while. "I've been thinking about where to turn. I've come to the conclusion that our only sensible option is to return to Sesshoumaru."

At hearing the name of my half-brother, I take a step back. "No," I say with repulsion. "We don't need him. I'm already seven, I'm old enough. I can look after both of us."

"I wish you were right," my mother replies wistfully.

"We're even going in the wrong direction," I point out. "Sesshoumaru is behind us."

"Well, we fled in a hurry," my mother replies. "We couldn't choose the route of our escape. But you're right - it will be difficult to reach him. Actually, the… village is almost exactly between us and him."

I gulp. The thought of returning there hadn't even crossed my mind.

"We're not going back, Inuyasha!" my mother says determinedly. "Don't worry, we'll find another way."

"No, it's a bad idea!" I object. "Going anywhere near _there_ – to get to _Sesshoumaru_? That's stupid!"

"Inuyasha, you have no idea!" my mother replies vehemently, startling me. "Where else do you think we can go?"

I try to think of something. "What about your home?" I finally ask carefully – it's a subject she always avoids. "Wouldn't your family help us?"

My mother shakes her head. "No."

"They can't be worse than Sesshoumaru!" I argue.

"Inuyasha - No! It's not possible."

Although intimidated by her sharp reply, I still don't want to have anything to do with Sesshoumaru. "There's other places. I don't know. We can just go - somewhere. It doesn't matter!"

For a moment, it looks as if my mother prepares for another argument, but then she sighs. "You're too young, Inuyasha. You don't understand it."

"I do!"

"No, you don't!" she yells. "If I could think of _anything_ else – believe me, I'd prefer it to groveling before Sesshoumaru any day! Do you think I'm doing this for myself?"

I fall silent. Because of… me?

I start to cry. "I'm sorry," I sob. "If I wasn't such a burden -"

My mother raises her hand, looking as if she wants to slap me. I cringe, but then she just grips both of my shoulders, squeezing them so hard that it hurts. "If I ever hear you say that again…" she says with a threatening voice.

I nod, crying even harder. "I won't."

She takes me into her arms. "I never want to hear that again!" she says. "Do you understand? Never!"

I promise her again.

"You're my son," she whispers. "I love you! Don't you know that?"

I feel as if the roof is coming down on my head. Driven away from my home, almost killed by my friends. What now?

Not caring about anything else, I cry into my mother's shoulder.

She starts patting my back and keeps whispering, telling me that she loves me, that everything will be all right.

"I love you too!" I sniff.

"Calm down," she says in a soothing tone. "I'll always be there for you."

"Really?"

She gives me a hug. "It's a promise!"

I hug her back. For a while, she says nothing, and I just cling to her as if to make sure she doesn't vanish into thin air.

Finally, my mother carefully breaks the embrace. "We'll find a new home, where you'll make lots of friends," she says, giving me a clap on my shoulder. "There's absolutely no reason to doubt that."

I nod, feeling better. She always knows what to do. Surely, she's right about Sesshoumaru as well. I don't have fond memories of him, but I also haven't seen him in a long time. Maybe he's not as bad as I remember him.

"Mom, if we're returning to Sesshoumaru... It's a long way."

She nods. "Yes, that's true. I'm surprised you still know the direction."

I look at her in bewilderment. "Why shouldn't I?"

"You were so young when we left," she says. "I wouldn't have thought you remembered."

"Why shouldn't I remember? It's in this direction. That's it." I point with my finger again.

"Isn't it a bit more to the right?" she asks in a teasing voice.

I resolutely shake my head. Seeing her doubtful look, I add, "That way. It's true, really."

"All right, Inuyasha, I believe you," she says in a pacifying voice. "Well, it's the long term plan, anyway. We'll have to find a place to rest first."

I look at her leg worriedly. The burnt skin is showing through the tattered fabric of her skirt. "Does it hurt much?"

"Inuyasha, don't stare at other people's wounds!"

Dutifully, I look at her face, but can't help to ask, "Why?"

"It's not polite."

My confusion grows. "And… why?"

She sighs. "Because – well, it just isn't. How would you feel if I stared at you?"

I don't really understand, but I guess it's one of those things you just have to accept. "Okay… So, does it hurt much?"

She thinks for a second before saying, "It's not so bad. Don't worry about it."

I think she's lying. "Do you want to rest here until you're better?"

My mother shakes her head. "There should be a small town not far from here. It's better to rest there."

"But aren't we safer here?"

"Here, in the middle of nowhere?" she asks, demonstratively looking around. "You must be kidding."

"I'm not! At least, here no one is trying to do - something bad."

She looks at me intensely before replying, "Really? I rather think that it's a stroke of luck that we haven't run into a bear or a pack of wolves. I don't even want to think about youkai."

I want to object, but I can't think of anything. I'm sure I can outrun all the wild animals, but what about mom? She's not anywhere near as quick as me, and that's when she's at full health.

I take a look around myself and take a careful sniff. The forest's reaching as far as I can see. A squirrel is watching us curiously from a tree, but I can't pick up anything dangerous.

Does it only seem so peaceful on the surface? Is there danger lurking just behind the next tree?

"I'll protect you," I promise my mother. "Whatever we run across."

She takes a breath, preparing to a reply, but then she just nods. "Thank you," she says with a small smile.

"How far is it to the town?" I ask.

"I'm not sure," she admits. "A day or maybe two."

I wonder if we wouldn't be faster if she let me carry her. I'm sure it would be better for her leg, too.

"Inuyasha, there's one more thing," my mother says right as I want to tell her my idea. "We're no longer in the Western Lands. This means that Sesshoumaru's name commands no authority here."

"So?"

"There must be lots of youkai – and probably humans as well – with a grudge against him. I don't think it would be good if it were to become well-known that you're his brother."

I think about it and then shrug. "Why does that matter? He's not here, anyway."

My mother sighs. "That's why. Since he's not here, but we are. For instance, they might try to blackmail him by taking us hostage."

I laugh. "I don't think that he would react."

Her face hardens. "There's nothing to laugh about. Whether he reacts or not, I doubt that it would end well for us."

"But –"

"Or, because he's too strong for them, they might vent their frustration on us," my mother continues, interrupting me. "In any case, just believe me that it's dangerous."

After she finishes, she looks at me intently. "I think I can understand the last part," I say slowly. "It's a bit like breaking somebody's toy when you're angry with him?"

"Yes, something like that," she agrees.

"Okay… and that means?"

"For one thing, I don't want you to throw his name around, even if we're in some kind of trouble. If someone asks, you've never even heard the name Sesshoumaru. Do you understand?"

"That's easy," I reply. "I'll just act as if I didn't know him."

"I hope you're taking this seriously."

"I am!"

It takes a second until she accepts my answer with a nod. "And though I don't think that Sesshoumaru has let word spread about his half-brother, it's probably best not to use our real names, just in case someone recognizes them."

"This helps?"

She shrugs. "At least, it won't do any harm… How about you just see it as a game?" she asks with a smile. "Whoever uses our real name in front of an audience first is the loser!"

"Sounds funny! I can choose your name, okay?"

She laughs honestly, maybe for the first time in days. "You're on. But in return, I can choose your name, too."

"No fair!" I whine.

"Is fair," she chuckles. "You better think twice before giving me a stupid name!"

"Hmmmmmm – okay! But you start!"

"All right." She tilts her head to the side, still chuckling. "How about… Kiba?"

-

Inuyasha awoke with a start, feeling like he was suffocating.

Acting on instinct, he jumped up. A sharp pain pierced through his back, making him lose his balance. Swaying, he instinctively struck out with his ­right hand and dug his claws into the trunk, stabilizing himself without letting go of the sword he was gripping tightly with his left.

It took him a second to find his balance again. He finally became aware of his surroundings – he was still up the tree.

And yet again, there was nobody there but him.

He crouched down, slowly to avoid straining his ribs any more.

His heart hammered in his chest like there was no tomorrow. Cold sweat trickled down his brow. Feeling like he couldn't get enough air, he took a few quick breaths.

'_Was that the dream that has kept me from sleeping?'_ he wondered when he felt a bit better.

But, had it really been just a dream? It had seemed so – real. Had that scene really happened during their escape from the village?

The only thing he could remember was being afraid that the villagers would catch them and finish what they started, and the fear of an uncertain future. Their actual flight through the forest was nothing more than a blur in his memory.

Had he simply forgotten about the talk with his mother, or was his mind playing tricks on him?

In any case, the dream hadn't been that scary. Yet why was he reacting like this?

_Kiba_.

The name still echoed in his mind, like a spiteful bell that wouldn't stop ringing. _'Air! I'm not getting enough air!' _he thought, feeling like a band was tightening around his chest.

Inuyasha swallowed hard and took a deep breath. But he couldn't calm down, immediately gasping for air again.

He closed his eyes and just concentrated on breathing. He kept his grip on the tree, not trusting his sense of balance.

It took him a full minute until his body finally seemed to register that it was overreacting. He could still feel his temple throbbing regularly, but at least his heart and lungs were returning to normal.

He opened his eyes carefully, concentrating on a point on the ground until he was sure he had himself under control.

'_What the hell is wrong with me?'_ he thought, a new kind of panic rising in him. He'd had his share of nightmares, but he had never reacted like this. _'This ain't normal!'_

Was he losing his grip? The idea sent a pulse of fear through Inuyasha. He took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to empty his mind.

Maybe he was just overreacting because of all the stress lately? He had had to leave his home and his friends behind, just like back then. That had to be the reason why his mind was playing tricks on him. It tried to make a twisted kind of connection.

Even if it hadn't been just a dream, but more like a forgotten memory, there was no link to the current events. He'd just been hurrying through the woods, just like he was now – that was all. They'd almost killed them. His mother had been badly injured. He shouldn't wonder that remembering something from back then would disconcert him a bit, right?

Having solved the riddle, Inuyasha leaned back slowly. There just had been a bit too much happening – that was all there was to it.

Finally feeling calm, he thought about the dream again. If it had really happened, he shouldn't forget about it – the pieces he remembered about his childhood were spare enough. Even the memories of his mother were feeling more and more distant.

Despite everything, he had to smile a bit, thinking about her. She had always tried to keep the harshness of the world away from him to the best of her ability. Even after being driven away from their home, she had given him a sense of security, as far as that was possible.

'_Ignorance is bliss…'_ Inuyasha thought wistfully.

She must have stood under enormous pressure. Being badly injured, seeing all the consequences, and still keeping the dire reality from her son – he wondered where she had found the energy. Despite a few cracks in her facade, he had really believed her that she would never leave him, hadn't doubted that he would make many friends.

Nobody could deny that she had tried her very best. In hindsight, there was no way that she had believed everything she told him. Trying her luck with Sesshoumaru had been a desperate plan, borderline suicidal. Especially for her – while Sesshoumaru might have hesitated to attack his infant brother, Inuyasha doubted that the youkai would have had similar reservations about a human woman he had no connection to.

And she _must_ have known that. But obviously, she'd still thought it more promising than trying to settle down somewhere else on their own, risking another lynch mob.

And all that risk – just for him. If she had just left him, she could have easily found a place to live. But she had even been willing to face Sesshoumaru for his sake.

'_I have to find out what happened to her,'_ Inuyasha thought with new determination. She had been willing to risk everything for him, and now it was his turn. It wasn't just a feeling of duty – she had been the most important person to him. He had loved her, and in moments like these, he noticed that he still did.

He _needed_ to know the truth.

o o o o o

Miroku looked back. Nobody had noticed him getting up, as they were all asleep. Only Kirara followed him with her eyes, but she was still curled up and didn't look like she intended to give up her comfortable position.

Glad that he hadn't disturbed their rest, he turned around and set out in a comfortable stroll. His muscles still felt stiff from yesterday's ride, maybe it was a good idea to move a bit.

He had lain awake for a while, until he had finally given up trying to get back to sleep. Hopefully, a little walk would help calm his mind. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, looking at the horizon. The sun already announced its arrival, coloring the clouds in a promising orange. Welcoming the dawn, all kinds of birds were chirping, their different songs joining together harmoniously.

But even the peaceful scenery couldn't take his mind off his troubles. Miroku sighed - he had managed to calm the two girls down yesterday. Why couldn't he succeed with himself? He could use rest at least as much as them.

His arm still hurt. It was only three days since Hachiro had cut him. Although Sango had treated the wound, she couldn't work wonders. In fact, he could be glad that the wound hadn't become infected, likely thanks to her competence.

Yet, despite his arm deserving time to recover, he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Against his best meditation techniques, his mind had continued to work restlessly, searching for a way out of the mess.

'_I shouldn't walk too far,'_ he reminded himself. If he wasn't careful, Sango or Kagome might notice that he wasn't as confident as he let on. Kagome in particular was already in a precarious position, having to worry about both Inuyasha and the ill-fated situation in her time.

He'd been barely able to calm her down yesterday, feigning confidence. In fact, he wasn't so sure at all that she could mend the relationship with her mother easily. He felt a bit bad for being dishonest to Kagome, but what was he supposed to do? For one thing, he didn't know much about having a parent – he had never known his mother, and his father had been away often, searching for Naraku. He knew a lot about responsibility and independence, but little about family ties.

For another, he had the impression that Kagome was close to her limit. He thought that giving her bad advice was better than none at all, as long as it helped her pull herself together. Especially because she had a lot of influence on Sango.

In fact, he was almost more worried about her. Kagome at least talked about her problems, but Sango wasn't so open. She gave him a few hints, also because she trusted him, but ultimately he had to rely on a lot of guesswork. He'd been close to asking her right out when she had made her strange comments on the sundown, but then had followed his feeling and decided against it. He still wasn't sure if that had been a good idea.

How she had acted during the last evening showed that she also worried, probably pretty much along the same lines as him.

He thought that, at least subconsciously, both Sango and Kagome felt that their situation was very precarious. With Inuyasha they'd lost their spearhead during battles. It was usually Inuyasha who charged into the fray, giving the rest of them some leeway.

Maybe even more importantly, they'd lost the leader of their group. Despite Kagome also having a word in it, it was usually Inuyasha who took initiative when it came to making a quick decision. In hindsight, the hanyou actually had quite a talent for it, if the fact that they were all still alive counted for anything.

In the worst case, if Inuyasha really left – who would assume the position? He didn't think that Sango would be comfortable with it, and if he was honest, he thought the same about himself.

This only left Kagome. She might actually be cut out for the job, but if Inuyasha left, he didn't think she'd be able to make level-headed decisions for a while. Together with the trouble in her own time, it was even possible that she'd leave them completely. A lot would depend on Kagome's mother, in that case. And at least for now, it looked like she was anything but eager to let her daughter travel down the well if she could help it.

Sango's idea to sway her heart with a painting was better than nothing, but to Miroku it also showed how helpless they were. He doubted that, if worse came to worst, it would make any difference. A good apology from Inuyasha would be a hundred times better. On the other hand, Kagome was no longer a child. She could go against the wishes of her parent.

Miroku sighed.

He had thought and worried about a lot of things during his travels, but Inuyasha leaving hadn't been among them. The hanyou had always hunted after Naraku with an unshakable need for revenge. Like all of them, he had lost too much to forgive and forget.

Miroku had firmly believed that the hatred they shared for Naraku would hold the group together even in the case of a serious dispute. Apparently, he had been wrong, though he still wondered how he could have been so far off.

'_It must be his upbringing…'_ Miroku thought. Inuyasha must have grown up very unusually. Who knew what he'd had to live through or how it affected his behavior? The fact that the hanyou never told them anything about his past definitely wasn't a good sign. But to react so rashly and just leave them like that – it still didn't quite fit into the picture that Miroku had of Inuyasha.

During their travels, he'd grown accustomed to the presence of the hanyou. Despite their different character traits, he'd gotten along with him very well – something he couldn't say about a lot of people. He'd felt like he knew him, maybe even a bit like a brother.

It was almost creepy. It seemed like there was a side to the hanyou that nobody knew, a side he had never shown to them.

Inuyasha's departure also made him aware how dependent he actually was on the hanyou and also on Sango and Kagome. Theoretically, any of them could simply abandon their hunt for Naraku. Kagome hadn't even lost anyone personal, only joining them out of a sense of duty and – that became painfully obvious – because of Inuyasha. She didn't have any grudge to bury, and without Inuyasha, what really held her here?

Miroku held up his arm and stared at his sealed hand. The rosary beads tangled innocently, belying the merciless chasm hidden beneath them. I'm waiting for you, it seemed to whisper. You think you've tamed me, but my patience is running thin.

Miroku gulped. Unlike the others, more than honor or revenge hinged upon the success of his mission. If he didn't kill Naraku – and soon at that – the Kazaana would swallow him like his father.

He'd grown up with it, like others grew up with protruding ears or pimples. It would kill him one day, he'd always been told, but that had been a day far, far away – a lot of time to maybe even undo the curse. He didn't think that his death had bothered him much more than other kids; it had only been given a visible form.

That had ultimately changed when Naraku had finally appeared. His father hadn't been so lucky, chasing after the phantom without ever meeting it, and was killed by his curse without ever getting a chance to lift it.

From that point on, Miroku had felt that it was up to him to succeed where his forefathers had failed. And with the help of his friends, he'd been optimistic to see Naraku's demise. The winds of fate had seemed to support him.

Now they were blowing straight into his face.

At that moment, Miroku already entered the camp again, having absentmindedly walked in a smaller circle than intended. Everyone was still asleep. Even Kirara didn't give any sign that she noticed him.

He thoughtfully looked over his friends. Could he fake enough optimism for all of them? Right now, he wasn't so sure that he could repeat what he had managed yesterday.

He turned his gaze to Sango. Her peaceful sleeping face tore at his heart.

He'd been so happy that he had found the girl that he wanted to spend his life with, and that she felt the same way about him. But without Inuyasha, without Kagome – what were their chances to slay Naraku? Just Sango and him against the cunning fiend that had time and time again escaped all of their combined strength?

He sadly stared at his cursed arm. How much time had he left to spend with Sango? Was he just selfish, following his feelings even though he knew it would only bring her misery? Would he just leave her unhappy in the end? Or would he lead both of them into their untimely death?

The realization hit Miroku hard. Despite feeling optimistic, he'd been prepared to die. He had never been prepared to helplessly watch the girl he loved march into her demise.

But what could he do? He couldn't think of anything that would stop her from hunting after Naraku for her personal vendetta. It would have to be something drastic...

Kirara suddenly raised her head, eying him suspiciously, as if she smelled the dark thoughts that Miroku entertained. Intuitively, he held his breath, feeling like an intruder.

Sango also seemed to notice the tension, turning from one side to the other with a disapproving gasp. Miroku unconsciously took a step backwards, as if his very presence was hurting her.

Suddenly, meeting Sango seemed like a dubious blessing. Would she have been better off without him? He remembered the death of his father, how he had been left without a single living relative. At first, he had felt like he was all alone in the world.

Was he about to inflict the same pain upon Sango, or worse? She had already lost everyone dear to her once. If he died, if his curse swallowed him – would he just hurt her even more?

'_I won't!'_ he thought resolutely.

He finally felt able to walk closer to them. His path was now clear to him – he had to find Inuyasha and clear up this mess. His life depended on it, and maybe that of everyone here.

'_And if he refuses?'_

It was one thing as long there was hope for them, but if worse came to worst, he'd have to make a decision in Sango's best interest.

Even if she would hate him for it.

* * *

Hi!

I think I've finally told everything I wanted to tell in this arc of the story. In retrospect, it seemed to drag on a bit longer than intended. I hope I haven't overdone the character introspections, I have to admit that I enjoy writing them. However, with the next chapter, I'll finally conclude this part of the story and start with the next.

I hope the sudden switch to first person POV in the middle wasn't confusing. I've thought about changing it to "normal" third person, but I think I like how it fits into the chapter. Still, it's probably not to everybody's taste.

Settle the Score has also been nominated at the IY Fanguild, actually for quite a number of awards: Best Serial, Drama, Action/Adventure, and Romance Inuyasha/Kagome. If you think it's deserving of one of those, please vote for it. :)


	33. Chapter 32: Morbid Mind

**Settle the Score**_  
by Chri_

**August 11****th****, 2009: **Chapter completed

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Atrocity_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 32**

_Agony leads my immortal life  
Even darker than the darkest midnight  
Disillusion is the pain you feel  
Blood is my avatar, and my seal_

_**Morbid Mind**_

Inuyasha felt that he was tiring again. He briefly considered continuing for a bit longer, but after giving it some thought, he gradually slowed down.

When he came to a stop, he carefully leaned against the next tree and took a few seconds to catch his breath. He had to cough, after which he noticed a faint coppery taste in his mouth. _'It's still not better yet,'_ he thought angrily. _'If it weren't for this stupid rib, I would be much further.'_

He reminded himself that it was his impatience that had led to the whole trouble in the first place, and reluctantly sat down.

Well, it could be worse. At least he had been able to continue, even if he'd had to slow down and take a few more breaks than he intended.

Inuyasha looked up into the sky, but the view was mostly blocked by the forest trees. Still, it looked like the weather would stay clear. It was already past noon, and there were no signs of rain clouds.

He guessed that he would reach his goal this evening. The thought made his heart beat faster. He couldn't even name the feeling. Fear, anticipation, curiosity – none of these terms seemed to fit it.

With a sigh, Inuyasha, wiped the sweat away from his forehead. _'Calm down,'_ he told himself. But he couldn't help but wonder what was awaiting him. Haranobu would be there, he just knew it.

'_Osuwari.'_

And again, he remembered that Kagome had destroyed his last chance of interrogating him. But this time would be different. This time his fate rested just in his own hands.

"Haranobu, I'll get you," Inuyasha said with determination.

He growled at the thought that he had trouble remembering what his mother had looked like, while the face of Haranobu was as clear before his inner eye as always. It should be the other way round!

He felt a bit guilty for almost never thinking about his mother recently. After he had met Kikyou, the girl had been the only person on his mind. And in the last months, life had gotten very complicated, at least by his standards. Caught in the struggle with Naraku, he hadn't even tried to find out about his mother's fate, although he had come around a lot.

When he had started living in the forest, he had thought about her more often, but had never seriously tried looking for her – mainly because he hadn't known where to start looking, but also because the panicking reactions of the humans had driven him into his forest.

Where could he have started? His best bet had been the village where his memory ended, but he hadn't even known in which direction to look for. And now that they had stumbled upon his old home – after sixty years and the whole werewolf business, chances were slim that someone remembered anything useful.

He had also wondered a few times about his mother's side of the family. She had never said a word about them, and by unspoken agreement he hadn't asked. Whatever had happened between them, she had cut off all ties to her family. All he knew was that his mother must have been some kind of royalty.

Had she run away, escaping a golden cage, meeting his father by chance? Or had her parents disowned her for falling in love with a youkai?

Judging by the fact that she had chosen seeking out Sesshoumaru over her own relatives, it was probably more like the latter.

All of a sudden, it struck Inuyasha how little he actually knew about his parents. What kind of man had his father been? How had he met his mother? For how long had they known each other before he had been born?

'_I know nothing about them,'_ Inuyasha realized. He felt ignorant for never really noticing before. It wasn't just his own past he didn't know – it was also that of his parents.

He turned his gaze upwards, the leaves of the tree catching his eye. To Inuyasha, it looked like they were clinging to the branches, seeking stability. Yet, the wind always seemed to carry some. Had the trees cast them away? Or had the wind ripped them off?

Inevitably, they fell to the ground, where they would begin to rot away. Their only chance was to ride the wind for as long as they could.

'_I'm floating like them,'_ Inuyasha thought. Torn apart from their root, without knowledge of their destination nor choice of their direction. Forced to move with the flow, and still destined to fall.

"No!" Inuyasha said out aloud. Some of them probably made it. Who could tell where they would end up? Maybe there was a place they were trying to reach. A place for which they were even willing to give up the security of their trees and take the risk of riding the wind.

And some of them made it, for sure.

"Enough with silly daydreaming…" he said to himself, standing up. "I can worry about stupid things after I'm through with Haranobu."

Still, he felt some of his worries lifted off his shoulders as he started into a moderate jog.

o o o o o

During the remainder of the day, Inuyasha felt his injury slowly heal. He had to stop less often and could increase his speed. Optimism filled Inuyasha, and he channeled it into his legs.

Yet as he got closer to his goal, he felt doubt and anxiety creeping into his heart. For a while, he tried to ignore it, but he noticed that he started to overexert himself again in attempt to silence the questions rising in his mind.

In the afternoon, he fell back into stopping more often. He didn't want to arrive exhausted, considering that he might be charging straight into a trap. The closer he got, the more his tension increased, and though the stops were necessary, they weren't helpful at all for his frayed nerves.

His thoughts started to circle around everything he knew about his past. Why did he hate that Haranobu guy so much? What had the man done to him? Or had the man done something to his mother?

'_What if she isn't dead?'_ Inuyasha wondered as he caught his breath during another short break. However, the thought didn't cheer him up at all – it wasn't the first time that it occurred to him. Somehow, deep down, he knew that she was dead. Maybe that's why he had never really tried looking for her? So that he could, in some wretched corner of his mind, imagine her living happily in some remote village?

Disheartened, he continued on his way, but questioned his resolve only moments later. What if she was alive and he had discarded her because of some dubious feeling? Or had she died _while_ he had been sealed to the Goshinboku? Had she waited for decades, hoping in vain that he would find her? The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

When the sun already started approaching the horizon, Inuyasha caught himself thinking of calling it a day and continuing on the next. He angrily pushed the thought away – he had made good progress, and was confident that he could make it before nightfall. Yet with every mile he got closer, more and more of his anxious feeling changed into fear.

The last hour was the hardest. He began to jump at the smallest sound; every unknown smell seemed threatening. Behind every tree a possible trap, an ambush waiting for him to foolishly run into their arms.

During his last stop, his hand started to shake. When he noticed it, he angrily clawed at the air, growling, but it didn't soothe his nerves for even a second.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha cursed. "I'm as good as there. I won't flip out right before reaching my goal!"

But unlike usual, his bravado didn't have any effect. He was terrified, there was no denying it.

He forced himself to continue before he had really caught his breath, afraid that he might abandon his plan if he rested any longer.

For the first time in days, he wished that his friends were here with him. Suddenly forgotten were his resolve and his anger – he'd have given a kingdom to see Kagome, hold her. Her smell seemed the only thing that could have calmed him.

Why had he abandoned his friends? _'Return to them,'_ a voice in his head whispered, happy at the prospect to quit the pursuit. _'Together you're a tenfold stronger! You can still return with them, no problem!'_

"No!" Inuyasha growled, steeling himself. "What would the point of splitting up have been? I've nothing to lose, and everything to gain!"

Yet the thought continued to linger in the back of his head, tempting him with every step.

And then he arrived at the cliff, right as the sun was about to set. Inuyasha gulped and slowly stopped. _'I'm here.'_

Every fiber of his being seemed to scream at him to turn around and leave the awful place behind. His heart beat furiously, faster and faster, louder and louder.

He couldn't bring himself to take a single step forward. If someone had asked him, he couldn't have said if he had stood there for a few seconds or for an hour.

Finally, Inuyasha clenched his fists. "Snap out of it," he ordered himself, and took a few reluctant steps forward. It felt like giant weighs were attached to his ankles.

Then the wind turned and, suddenly, he noticed the smell of several youkai. Without even thinking, he dropped into a crouch, claws ready to strike. His eyes jumped from one corner to the other; his ears restlessly flicked in all directions, catching the rustling of every leaf in the vicinity. He didn't move an inch, prepared for the ambush. It felt like his senses had expanded all of a sudden, his reflexes taken over where his mind had failed.

Even when nobody attacked him on the spot, Inuyasha didn't relax. Maybe they hadn't noticed him, but maybe they were just waiting for him to relax his guard.

The smell came from the village. Were the youkai waiting for him there? Were they in league with Haranobu? He couldn't notice his smell among them.

Inuyasha braced himself and slowly advanced to the edge of the cliff. Careful to stay unnoticed, he took a peek.

When he looked down at the village, he found it already cast in shadows. For a moment, he was alarmed by at the sight of burning fires, but they weren't the remains of a razed village, just a couple of torches. There were also two bigger fires illuminating the main square.

There were a lot of people out for the time of the day; it looked like the market had already begun. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, but from his position he couldn't really make out any details. The cliff was almost a hundred meters high, and the place where the market had set up its tents was at the opposite end of the village – it was quite a distance.

From up here, everything looked busy, but peaceful. But the smell was unmistakably that of youkai.

'_Maybe they're not related to me?'_ Inuyasha wondered. Maybe there just were a few human-looking ones that had sneaked into the village, for whatever reason.

Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was overlooking something, that there was a connection to him. It was a trap, it had to be. And there was something about the smell that seemed… familiar.

'_I guess the only way to find out more is going there,'_ he thought. His fear returned at the thought, but not as panic like before. It stayed somewhere in the back of his mind, as if locked behind a wall of glass. His mind felt strangely clear and serene, for the first time in days.

Inuyasha took a look at Tetsusaiga. Should he use the sword? It hadn't been reliable lately. If he ran into a trap like he expected, he might not be able to straighten out a glitch. On the other hand, without Tetsusaiga, he would only be able to fight at a fraction of his power. On the defensive and especially on the offensive, it was an excellent weapon, worthy of a taiyoukai.

"Don't let me down," Inuyasha whispered and pulled the sword out of its sheath. It transformed into its big form without fail. He could feel the weight of the sword, the power it emitted. He was sure that he would need it. "I'm trusting you."

It seemed to give a pulse in reply: a promise, and a warning.

Turning his gaze away from the sword, he looked down again. He considered sneaking into the village, but the fact that there were youkai among the crowd didn't make it a promising plan. Even to the humans he would stand out with his bright-red clothes. It should be better to charge in and take advantage of the element of surprise.

He stood up, but something still held him back. A leaf floated by him. One moment it drifted peacefully, then it abruptly changed its course, drawn down by the air draft.

Watching it vanish down the ravine, a ominous feeling suddenly weighed on his shoulders – as if his next step would open a new chapter in his life. And unlike with books, there would be no way to turn the page back.

But Inuyasha knew that he didn't have a choice anymore. Maybe he had never had one.

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he started towards the village. Somewhere in him, the beast called fear clawed against its confines. But the cage held, at least for now.

o o o o o

Kagome's tension had grown the whole day. Now that they were about to reach their goal, it was almost unbearable.

Although she was afraid and unsure of how things would develop, she felt an irresistible pull towards the village. The closer she got, the more vigorously she pedaled, and still felt that she was too slow.

She had spent much time picturing in her mind how she would make up with Inuyasha. Meanwhile, just thinking about him made her shake with anticipation. Would he already be there? Or had they already gotten ahead of him? Normally she was sure that he could leave them behind, but he had been badly hurt. Was he lying somewhere in the forest, in pain and exhausted?

"Idiot!" Kagome cursed mildly, unable to be angry with him.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Shippou asked, looking up at her from the basket of her bike.

"Nothing," Kagome said quickly, but couldn't keep her voice from shaking. At the inquiring look of the young fox demon, she added, "I'm so nervous… We're almost there."

Shippou nodded, looking serious. He was clutching the edge of the basket tightly. "Do you think that we can make up with him?" he asked and gulped.

Kagome felt moved by Shippou's worried question. She wanted to reassure him, but the words seemed stuck in her throat. She finally grabbed his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. She felt him relax, and some of her own worries left her.

For the kid, the sudden breakup had also been hard. She had to make up with Inuyasha, for everyone's sake. Once more, she wondered if he was already at the village.

He had to be. She'd go crazy if he wasn't. And she would if he was. She imagined stepping up to him, talking with him…

She felt tears stinging in her eyes. He had to listen!

Almost unnoticeable, Kagome felt something tugging at her. At first she paid it no attention, her mind focused on Inuyasha. The feeling vanished, but after a few seconds it returned – stronger. It made her feel dizzy and nauseous.

As she wondered about the uncomfortable sensation, a white light suddenly blinded her. She closed her eyes in reflex, but it made no difference – the light just stayed. For a second, she felt disoriented, having completely lost her sense of direction.

After a moment, her senses adjusted and she found herself floating in a seemingly endless space. Everything, everywhere was white. She looked down at herself, but she could even see herself only as a dim shape of light. For a second, she felt confused. She looked around – was the word even adequate? – but there was absolutely no clue. Her first thought was that she had suddenly been displaced to another plane of existence. And she knew this … place, but couldn't tell why it was familiar.

She felt like she was floating, swimming in the light. But although it was natural, something frightened her. Even if up or down no longer had a meaning attached to them, she had the impression that she was sinking. Slowly, the bright white around her bled into gray, losing it's brilliance.

Again, something changed, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped. Almost unnoticeable at first, a little whirl of black appeared some way before her.

'_What is that?'_ Kagome wondered. It looked like black ink dropping into a glass of milk. Then there was a second forming, growing slowly, and yet another. She couldn't say why, but she had a very bad feeling about them. They had a nauseating smell, and distinctively reminded her of something unpleasant, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

Ever changing during their growth, they seemed to surround her as if following a will.

That's when she noticed that she was no longer alone; they _were_ one will. It had been almost unnoticeable, but now it was quickly becoming stronger. It felt like the soul of another being was mixed into the black whirls.

As fine extensions of the alien consciousness started to stream around her, she felt like it was looking at her very soul. And she was staring right back, as if their thoughts were fusing.

Kagome shook at the violation of her mind. The malice of her adversary was almost tangible. It was old, and very powerful. She instinctively started to resist, pushing against it, but it was like striking at smoke – it whirled around her, evading her attempts completely. And it began to drain her. It felt like her essence was dispersing into nothing.

She started to panic. She opposed with stronger force, but it didn't even make the shadow of a difference. The streaks of black evaded when she tried to will them away, while they snatched at her from wherever she wasn't focusing her attention on.

Like a swarm of leeches, ever more of the whirls clung to her despite her resistance, greedily sucking at her soul. _'Help!'_ Kagome cried out, but nobody was there to hear her. With every ounce of power she lost, she felt her enemy become stronger.

The glimpses she caught of her attacker's mind grew deeper as well. She couldn't see anything visual – no memories, nothing to discern who it was – only feelings and proportions. Its age made her dizzy: it was like staring down a bottomless well. And it wasn't just trying to drain her. She felt its determination to end her life.

With disgust, she realized that her assailant was enjoying it. It reveled in her struggle, bathed in her fear. _'I'm not going to let you win!'_ she thought with a mixture of anger and desperation.

Kagome concentrated her defense on the thickest strands. She slowly and carefully grabbed for one. Like before, it tried to evade her, but she followed it relentlessly.

It was seared away by her touch. Drawing new hope, she finally succeeded in fending off a few of them. They all vanished as if burned, blending away into the gray that surrounded her. But she was too slow. For every one she took out, two new whirls of black began to form.

Her little successes didn't seem to faze her attacker at all; on the contrary, it seemed amused by her futile effort.

She took out another two, but the whirls of black just kept appearing. From all sides, they streamed to her, one after the other. _'Where are they coming from?!'_ she thought desperately. They were leaking in, like through a secret back door she had forgotten to lock.

She looked down at herself, hoping to find a hint. Alarmed, she noticed that the leeches didn't only seem to drain her power – they were poisoning her! She could see small strands of black circulating through the bright light that was herself. Compared to the gray that surrounded her, her form was still a sharp contrast, but she could see and feel the black poison mixing with her, dampening the brilliance.

Kagome recovered from the shock and continued to search for where her enemy was coming from. She gave up trying to defend herself, and more and more strands of black entwined around her. She forced herself to stay calm, feeling that this was her only chance. It was a gamble, but if she continued resisting, she'd lose sooner or later. She no longer had any doubts that her life was on the line.

After she didn't find anything suspicious with herself, she started to examine her surroundings. Her power was draining quickly and she began to feel dizzy. _'You damn parasites,'_ Kagome cursed silently, willing herself to stay awake. It wasn't just her wavering consciousness that troubled her: the black intruders had become so numerous that they were blocking her sight.

With the force of desperation, Kagome smacked at the offending leeches. They shied away, evading her strike, but at least they cleared her sight.

There! Almost unnoticeable against the gray surrounding her, there was a little, bright spot in the distance. Her dizziness started to get the better of her, but she instinctively felt drawn to the light. Without really thinking about it, Kagome started to move towards it.

It was a bit similar to swimming. Like wet clothes, the leeches clung to her, weighing her down. Even more, she felt like swimming against a current, as if the parasites were pushing against her. They were trying to keep her away, she realized. Her target was something she knew, something important. If only she could figure it out!

Her attacker laughed at her. _'Mine!'_ it thought possessively. Kagome was surprised by the intensity, much stronger than anything before. She got the feeling that this was about more than her life; that only she stood between it and this light.

And then it clicked. This light – it was Inuyasha! And somehow, he was the real target of her attacker.

Something flared in Kagome, searing away the black strands directly attached to her. Others were quick enough to let go before they shared the same fate, moving out of her direct vicinity.

'_I won't let you have him!'_ She couldn't tell if it was her or the assailant. The idea that they both shared the same thought gave her the creeps.

And then it was silent. The connection she'd shared - suddenly broken. The contrast was so strong that the silence almost overwhelmed her.

Suspicious of the sudden change, Kagome looked around, but everything was still. It seemed that the black whirls had finally stopped appearing. The ones that had escaped her before were floating lifelessly, slowly dissolving. _'Foul things,'_ she thought, disgusted that they were melting in this place.

Had she finally repelled the intruder? For a moment, she just enjoyed the peace, unspeakably glad that she was finally rid of the sickening presence. She felt like she had burned the last of her power – if the whirls returned, she didn't think she could resist any longer.

She turned her attention to Inuyasha. She had almost reached him. But now that she had time, she noticed that it wasn't him. The light was like – the Inuyasha that existed inside her. Her connection to him.

Had she saved him? Somehow, she got the feeling that it wasn't over yet.

Inuyasha's light gave a sudden flicker, deeply unsettling her. _'I have to get back!'_ she thought. He was near, she could feel it. And he was in danger.

Her exhaustion finally started to get the better of her. Her vision wavered. With all her power, she fought to stay awake. _'Not now!'_

Inuyasha, she had to help him. How the hell did she get out of here, back to her friends?

But then it happened very quickly. Her sight turned black, and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Hello dear reader!

It's been a while and I guess in that light, the update is somewhat short. What can I say - it's summer. :)

Although it's probably old news in the meantime, a few weeks ago I discovered that I actually _did_ win an award at the IYFG - third place in _Best Drama_, to be precise. For getting four reviews telling me about every single nomination, I had kinda counted on also getting one in case I really won something, but nothing came, so I just thought I hadn't won. After a few weeks I finally got curious and found a homepage where it said that actually, I got a third place. :)

To be even more precise, though, it's more like a fifth place, since the IYFG got some curious rules and there were two ties ahead of me. I don't think I can really brag with a third place like that. Imagine a meeting of all third-place winners – I'd be like the bottom of the barrel. ;) On the other hand, I guess it's better to be a loser among winners, than the other way round. At the very least, the company's more interesting. Also, somebody did take the time to make a nice banner, which was a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, back to the story. The chapter was a bit meta-physical, I hope it all makes sense. I guess it's also somewhat of a cliffhanger, but the chapter would have gotten too long. On the plus side, this means the next chapter is already half-way finished, so I'm sure the next update will be significantly faster.

Until then, enjoy the summer! :)


	34. Chapter 33: Down where we belong

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**Author rantings:  
**Hello everybody. Looks like I took a bit longer than expected with this chapter. Actually, I had it ready almost a month ago. But then life got a little busy, and despite having the chapter beta-read, I didn't get to posting it. I don't think I've ever taken so long with giving a chapter the finishing touch. A big sorry, especially to my beta-readers. Your work is appreciated, even if it doesn't look like it.

At the positive side, the troubles (at work) are finally sorted out, and I even have a week of vacation soon. Which should translate into more time for this story. :)

**October 24****th****, 2009**: Chapter completed.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Wumpscut_

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _and _JMaxwell _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 33**

_There are two types of man on our mother earth  
Some have all the luck, some just live in dirt  
There are several types of the color of the skin  
But what's crucial is to lose or win_

_**Down where we belong**_

"Kagome?"

Everything was black.

"Kagome!"

A vague feeling of tension unsettled her, urging her to get up.

"Kagome? Are you awake?"

Someone was calling her. Kagome opened her eyes and found herself looking up at the evening sky. The clouds were a fiery red, as if the heavens were burning. It looked abysmal, for a second she felt like the world was ending.

Then, Sango suddenly appeared in her field of view. She was in her black battle gear and looked down at her worriedly.

"Can you hear me?"

Instinctively, Kagome tried to sit up, but immediately fell back to the ground, too weak to even sit. She felt cold and hot at the same time.

"Kagome! Are you all right?"

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling cold sweat running down her brow. "I – I'm…. I don't know," she croaked. Her throat felt coarse and dry.

Where was she? What had happened? There were memories, like after waking up from a dream, but she couldn't piece them together.

The last thing she remembered was riding her bike, and then -

Inuyasha! He was in danger!

Kagome sat up and somehow crawled to her feet. Barely standing upright, she wavered and would have fallen if Sango hadn't caught her.

"Kagome, look out!" she heard her friend say, her voice thick with concern. "You have to lie down!"

She didn't care, trying to orient herself. Where was she? And where was Inuyasha?

When Sango tried to carefully move the miko to the ground, Kagome clung to her, unwilling to stop. She remotely registered that her left arm hurt, but didn't care. "No! Sango, I have to -"

Her friend didn't listen, laying her down to the ground. Kagome cried out, feeling helpless. The world was spinning before her eyes.

"Kagome, please calm down," she heard Miroku say to hear in a soothing tone. "Please tell us how you feel."

"I feel awful!" Kagome cried out defiantly. "Happy now?!"

"What happened to you?" Miroku continued in an even voice.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. "We have to help him."

Miroku and Sango looked at her, puzzled.

"It's true, I swear!" Kagome coughed. "He's in danger! Please, you have to help me."

She looked at them expectantly. Sango seemed to argue with herself, even Miroku looked tense. "Kagome, we'll help you, but please tell us what happened to you," the monk asked her after thinking for a moment.

"I don't know!" Kagome said quickly. "It was some kind of… psychic attack. I don't know. But I know that Inuyasha's in danger."

Sango nodded. "All right. Miroku, let's go take a look at the village." She turned to the side, addressing the little fox demon standing next tot her. "Shippou, you watch after Kagome."

"No!" Kagome shouted, sitting up with a jerk. "You have to take me with you! _Please_!"

"I want to go, too," Shippou added. "It's stupid to split up!"

"Think about it, Kagome," Sango said, ignoring the little demon. "You're as white as a sheet. Are you sure?"

Kagome tried to give a resolute and reassuring front, but feared that she failed miserably when Miroku and Sango shared an unsettled look. "I have to go," Kagome said quickly before the two changed their minds. No matter how she felt, she couldn't stop so close before reaching her goal, especially not after this mysterious assault. She wiped over her face with her sleeve, brushing away the sweat and the tears. "I feel bit wobbly, but I'll be all right."

"I hope you know what you're doing…" Sango said, moving besides Kagome. Miroku moved to the other side and together they helped keep her upright.

"Kirara, please help us," Sango said. The fire cat transformed and sat down next to them. Carefully, Sango and Miroku heaved Kagome up the back of Kirara.

When Kagome grabbed the cat demon's fur to steady herself, she finally got to take a look at her hurting arm. The sight shocked her – the left sleeve of her shirt ended almost at her shoulder, torn to pieces. Her entire arm looked like a bloody mess, both the upper and the lower part. Now that she had seen it, it suddenly hurt much more.

"We cleaned the wound as well as possible," Sango said, having noticed her friend's look. "You scraped your arm when you hit the ground. There was a lot of dirt in the wound – I used practically all of the cleaning liquid from your first aid pack."

Kagome gulped. She carefully moved her arm, finding that it still responded to her orders, but protested every little movement with a stinging sensation.

"Does it hurt much?" Sango asked worriedly.

Kagome steeled herself, looking at her friend determinedly. "I'll live," she said. "But we have to hurry!"

Sango mounted Kirara and sat herself in front of Kagome. "Hold onto me as tight as you can," she said. "Miroku, you hold her from behind."

Following Sango's suggestion, Miroku took place behind the two girls and put his hands around Kagome's waist, holding her steady. Shippou also jumped up, placing himself in front of Sango.

Sango turned around and, after giving Kagome an inquisitive stare, said, "All right, let's go. It shouldn't be far."

Despite feeling sick and being in pain, a wave of relief washed over Kagome when Kirara finally took off the ground. _'Inuyasha, I'm as good as there!'_

As Kirara gained height, Kagome instinctively tried to steady herself with her injured arm, getting a sharp sting of pain in return. She almost cried out, but managed to swallow it.

"What exactly happened to me?" Kagome asked after she found that she could talk again.

Shippou climbed on Sango's shoulder, looking back to her. He didn't seem to mind that they were now far above the ground, gesticulating without a care as he explained, "We were cycling, remember? And then, all of a sudden, the bike dropped to the side at full speed. I was so surprised that I barely managed to jump out of the basket."

"I don't even remember an accident," Kagome said absentmindedly, looking at her arm. When she had entered the strange world of light, the bike must have gone out of control.

"You hit the ground like a puppet," Sango said grimly. "I was looking down by coincidence and saw it firsthand."

"Did you fall unconscious?" Shippou asked, his tone more curious than worried. "You were out for a few minutes."

Kagome shook her head. "I felt a moment of dizziness, and then –" She told them a quick rundown of what had happened to her: that she had suddenly found herself in a strange place and how she barely managed to fend off the attacker. She had to stop a few times to catch her breath. She could feel her friends worrying, but couldn't help it.

"I'm sure it's a miko thing," Shippou said with conviction when she had finished her story. "You were too strong, Kagome."

Kagome thought about the child's guess, it actually sounded plausible. But who could it have been?

"I'd guess it was a dark miko," Miroku said, "At the least, a monk couldn't do something like that."

Sango looked back. "Do you think…" she said and trailed off, exchanging a look with Miroku. It seemed like she wrung for words, her eyes jumping from one corner to the other. "Do you think it was – Kikyou?"

'_Kikyou?'_ Kagome wondered, remembering how possessive the attacker had been about Inuyasha. But after a second, she discarded the thought again. "No," Kagome said, shaking her head. "I think I would have recognized her. Whoever it was – was a lot older."

"In any case, it's too much to be a coincidence," Miroku said. "So I think it's either related to our current business – or to _Naraku_. To be honest, I hope it's not the later."

"Naraku?" they all asked almost in unison.

"We haven't seen hide nor hair of him for a while," Miroku continued. "This might be the chance he was waiting for. However, I would wonder why he was waiting for so long, until we had almost caught up with Inuyasha."

Sango gulped. "Naraku is about the last thing we need right now."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Miroku interjected. "It's probably an accomplice of Isobe Hachiro, but we have to be prepared. Lady Kagome, in what kind of trouble is Inuyasha?"

"I don't know, but it's related to… whoever attacked me," Kagome answered. "In the end, it was Inuyasha they were after, not me."

That moment, a giant shockwave split the sky. It was suddenly stopped short, dispersing against what seemed like a giant, invisible dome. "That was the Wind Scar, wasn't it?" Kagome shouted. Forgotten were fatigue and injury. "Inuyasha!"

"Yes, but what did it crash against?" Sango asked. "It looked like some kind of barrier to me."

Kagome didn't really care, desperately trying to find Inuyasha. The cliff had come into view, but it still hid most of the village, only gradually giving sight as they got closer. It all took too long for her. Damn rock! Last time, Inuyasha had almost broken his neck because of it. _'Faster!'_ she silently begged Kirara. _'Inuyasha needs our help!'_

The village was already cast in shadows, the cliff cutting off the last remains of sunlight. The main square finally appeared behind the edge; two big bonfires illuminating it. Kagome could make out movement: people were running away in all directions. _'They're fleeing,'_ she realized.

There! In the middle was the source of the panic – a group of about ten had surrounded somebody. Clad in red, he stood with his back to a wall.

"Look!" Kagome shouted and pointed down. "Isn't that Inuyasha?"

As if to follow her shout, Kirara dove at breakneck speed. Kagome gasped, thinking that they were too close to the ground. As if to confirm her fears, the forelegs of the cat demon grazed the edge of the cliff. With a loud crack, the stone shattered. Rock rained down, and the smell of earth charred by the fire cat's burning paws assaulted Kagome's nose.

Behind her, Kagome felt Miroku tensing. His grip around her tightened, almost winding her. Instinctively, she tensed as well, grabbing a fist of Kirara's fur with her left hand despite her injury and squeezing Sango's stomach with her right.

Kirara, however, didn't seem to care, still increasing her speed. When they passed the edge, the sun instantly vanished behind the cliff. The temperature noticeably dropped as they dived down towards the village.

"Ah!" Shippou shouted suddenly. Kirara noticeably shook at the same time.

"What?" Miroku shouted against the wind.

"It felt… strange for a second," Shippou answered, looking around warily.

"It must have been the barrier," Sango stated. "We broke through - we can worry about it later."

Down in the village, the people started to notice them. Some of them pointed up, others shouted or screamed. When the cat demon headed straight for the main square, they scattered away, creating a path below Kirara. For a second, Kagome considered pacifying them, but then discarded the thought. There was little she could do, so she turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

As they came closer, Kagome became sure that it was him, although the fires didn't provide much light. He stood with his back against a wooden wall, crouching slightly and snarling at his opponents. His routes of escapes were completely cut off, his attackers forming a half-circle around him. Next to him, one of his opponents hung lifelessly, Tetsusaiga sticking through his chest, nailing him to the wall. This was probably the reasons why his attackers held back for the moment and resorted to shouting at him.

Having almost reached the main square, Kirara gave a challenging roar. It was thunderous; Kagome could feel her ears ringing. The people behind them panicked, doubling their efforts in getting away.

It also broke the concentration of Inuyasha and his opponents, all of them carefully looking in the direction of the noise without letting the other out of their eye. Kagome suddenly felt very self-conscious and averted her gaze, unable to bring herself to look Inuyasha in the eye. She wanted to talk with him, apologize, make him apologize, but this wasn't the time for it.

"Hold on!" Shippou cried out on top of his lungs. "We're as good as there!"

Now Kagome had to look at him, having to see his reaction. How would he react? His expression was hard to read.

"You fools!" he finally growled, his tone deeper than usual. It sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. "Get out of here!"

Having said that, he launched himself at one of his opponents, clawing at his throat. His target, still distracted by the unexpected arrival, was too slow to react, but two of his comrades stepped in. One of them blocked the strike, while the other punched back at Inuyasha, hitting him squarely in the chest.

The force of the strike threw Inuyasha back, but he managed to turn some of his momentum into a spinning motion and strike out with his other claw. Blood and flesh splattered as Inuyasha left a deep gash in his attackers arm. Then he crashed against the wall, spitting blood. A muffled cry escaped him, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"Bastard!" the injured opponent hissed, carefully taking a step back behind his comrades. "Watch out! He's as nimble as a cat."

Another pointed in the direction of the approaching fire cat, which was only seconds away from landing. "Who the fuck are they?"

The question seemed directed at a smaller group standing about twenty meters behind them. Kagome hadn't paid them any attention so far, but now took a closer look. One of them was staring in their direction – Isobe. Her insides seemed to freeze. He looked like last time she'd seen him, yet everything about him felt very different.

'_It's him,'_ she realized. _'It's him who tried to kill me.'_ She couldn't have explained it, but something about him, about his… aura felt exactly like the black leeches she'd fought off.

Kagome gulped when she noticed that he was staring right at her, the flickering light of the bonfire giving his face an ominous touch. Fear gripped her, yet she couldn't break the eye contact. Again she felt like staring down a well without bottom.

"Lady Kagome, be careful!" Miroku shouted behind her. Kagome suddenly noticed that she was in a bad lop-sided position; with a jerk, the monk heaved her upright again. "Do you feel all right?"

"W- Watch out," Kagome stammered, ignoring the question. She felt dizzy again, the adrenalin rush from the breakneck flight was already over. "There's Isobe. It's him who tried to kill me."

"Really, there he is," Miroku stated. "Are you sure it was him?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, I am." Unsure whether it had been her condition or if he had tried something strange again, she avoided looking into Isobe's eyes and sized up the two people standing with him, a man and a woman. While the guy was carefully looking in their direction, the woman was following Inuyasha's fight with rapt attention.

What caught Kagome's eye were the colorful, exotic looking clothes they wore. In the case of the woman, very revealing ones that left only little to imagination. As if to make up for that, she also wore a lot of jewelry – it seemed like half her body was glittering against the surrounding twilight.

It was almost embarrassing to look at her, so Kagome turned her eyes back to the guy. His clothes looked similar to the woman's, almost reminding her of ancient Chinese style. Although covering more, they were also quite tight and would have made him look like a performer, if he hadn't been looking in their direction quite so coldly.

Kirara finally crossed the distance and landed in the flank of Inuyasha's attackers, carefully leaving about forty meters distance. Isobe's group was diagonally behind them.

Kagome still kept her sight on them. At the moment, Isobe seemed to be arguing with the man standing next to him, judging by the agitated gestures. She wondered what it was about, but the distance was too great to understand anything.

Shippou sniffed suddenly, looking from one group to the other. "Be careful, I don't think those guys are human," he said after taking another sniff. "They smell like youkai."

As if to acknowledge Shippou's statement, Sango took a firm grip on Hiraikotsu and jumped off Kirara. She got ready to throw it, but then held still.

"What now?" she asked without taking her eyes off the situation. At the moment, nobody moved, everyone carefully seizing up each other.

Kagome took her eyes off Isobe for a moment, looking at Inuyasha's opponents. Were all of them youkai? But why would they be working together with a human? The way it looked like, he was even leading them.

"If all of them are youkai, we can't pull our blows," Miroku said. Kagome felt him carefully untangle his hold on her. "Lady Kagome, I have to get off. Will you be all right on your own?"

The prospect of losing Miroku's reassuring presence scared Kagome; she had to fight the urge to ask him to stay. _'Sango can't face ten youkai just on her own,'_ she told herself. _'Even with Miroku, we're seriously outnumbered.'_

"I'll manage," Kagome gritted out, though she didn't really feel confident about it. She'd barely said it, when Miroku already climbed off. It was almost like a strike, cold air assaulting where before Miroku's body had kept her warm. Involuntarily, Kagome shivered, making it painstakingly clear to her how debilitated she really was at the moment.

"I can help, too!" Shippou said. "I've trained a lot in the last days."

"Yes, I have something to do for you," Sango said. "Please watch after Kagome, and watch our backs. I don't want anybody circling around behind us."

The man to whom Isobe had been talking to suddenly started to walk briskly in their direction. "Hisashi and Katsu, you join me!" he bellowed in a commanding voice. "And the rest of you better finally manage to seize the half-breed!"

Two youkai stepped away from the group and joined with him. "That wasn't the deal, Masato!" one of them complained. "Katsu and me aren't here to play catch with humans and freakin' hanyou."

Masato opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by Isobe. "You'll obey if you value your life!" he threatened. As if to emphasize his words, he gave the woman standing next to him a sharp blow to the back of her head. "And Haruka, I told you to help them!"

She had still been watching Inuyasha and, being caught entirely unprepared, stumbled forward. She caught herself after a few steps and, rubbing the back of her head, jogged to catch up with the other three youkai sent after Miroku and Sango, still throwing glances in Inuyasha's direction.

Masato, not looking happy about being reprimanded, had stopped and seemed to weigh his options. Hisashi used the opportunity to turn back to Isobe. "Are we at least allowed to kill _them_, your majesty?" he asked in a leering voice.

Isobe shrugged. "Be my guest."

Masato moved forward with a start. "Come on, let's get this over with," he said to his companions.

Keeping advancing on Miroku and Sango, he turned to the youkai surrounding Inuyasha. "What are you idiots waiting for?" he shouted at them. "If you don't have the hanyou by the time I'm finished with those humans, I'll have your worthless hides!"

The threat obviously worked, as they all launched themselves at Inuyasha.

- - -

Sango felt as if time slowed when she saw the bulk of youkai attacking Inuyasha. Her first impulse was to storm forward and help him – he didn't look well, probably having taken a number of hits before their arrival. He hid it pretty well, but she knew him for too long to miss the subtle hints.

But her chivalrous feelings were gone almost as quickly as they had come, the battle-hardened part of her mind taking over. The four youkai were advancing on them and blocking their way to Inuyasha: to ignore them would be reckless, if not suicidal.

'_Hiraikotsu,'_ she decided, was her only way of helping him out. But the youkai were already upon him – she would have to aim straight at Inuyasha, hoping that he'd notice the weapon and manage to avoid it.

For a split second, the thought of what might happen held her back. If he didn't make it in time.... But she knew that the the enemies superiority in numbers was too overwhelming to play it safe. She had seen what Isobe by himself had been able to do, and now he had _a dozen youkai _with him.

'_We'll have to take out some of them quickly,'_ she thought. The youkai leader, Masato, seemed especially dangerous, judging by the confident and agile way he carried himself. _'Can I take him out directly?'_

No, wouldn't work. Maybe catch him by surprise, when Hiraikotsu returned unexpectedly? Unlikely. She had only one throw with the element of surprise on her side, then maybe another depending on how things developed. Some of them _had_ to fall before then; she had a feeling that Miroku and her couldn't hold off all four of them, not with Kirara tied down with watching over Kagome.

'_The right one it is,'_ she decided and took aim. All those considerations had taken barely a second, her mind working almost entirely on estimation and years of experience.

Her body almost seemed to welcome the chance to finally release the tension. As she threw, she knew that she couldn't afford to screw up; her aim had to be perfect. "Hiraikotsu!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, also hoping to give Inuyasha a hint.

A strange feeling washed over her when she felt the weapons leave her hand. The leather strap almost gently brushed her index finger, belying the raw force the weapon had gathered. And she had guided it straight for her friend; and she no longer could stop it. _'This will either save his life, or kill him.'_

Two of the youkai advancing on them stepped to the side, but it wouldn't even have been necessary – Hiraikotsu shot past them with a healthy distance, heading straight at the group behind them. One of them joked about her aim, but Masato immediately turned to him and snapped, "Idiot, watch out for -"

He was cut short when spell scrolls hit them, thrown by Miroku. The female youkai, Haruka, managed to dodge with a roll to the side, but the other three youkai were caught and bound in place, at least for the moment.

Meanwhile, Hiraikotsu reached its primary target. Sango couldn't make out what happened to Inuyasha; youkai jumped left and right to save themselves, others dived to the ground. A few unlucky ones weren't quick enough or got tangled up – Hiraikotsu ripped right through them, blood and splintered bones flying through the air. Still, it barely brushed the wooden wall they had pushed Inuyasha against, and the undeterred weapon continued on its way.

It had been a wonderful throw, but never before had Sango been so worried at the sight of youkai mutilated by her weapon. _'Please,'_ she prayed, _'don't let Inuyasha be among them.'_

A growl brought Sango's attention back to the situation at hand. Though Masato couldn't see the mayhem, unable to turn his head, the shouts and cries probably told him all he needed to know. He growled again and his face started to change as he fought against Miroku's magic. "Help… us… already!" he brought out through gritted teeth.

Haruka jumped to her feet and hurried to Masato, but Miroku threw another set of spell scrolls at her. Yet like before, she managed to evade them, almost artistically dodging past Masato and coming to stop near Hisashi. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Sango would have turned to Miroku and told him to stop ogling the scantly clad woman.

With a quick strike of her claws, Haruka sliced the binding scroll in two, and hurried on to Katsu.

"Ha, those are nasty little toys," Hisashi laughed, so loud he couldn't hear Masato grit out a warning. "I'll –"

At that moment, the returning boomerang sliced straight through him, cutting off whatever he'd been about to announce.

Haruka screamed and threw herself to the side, barely dodging the weapon. A muffled cry escaped the still bound Katsu, whose left arm was now dangling by his side, almost ripped off and only held to his body by a tissue of skin.

Sango welcomed the Hiraikotsu silently, glad that her plan had worked out thanks to Miroku's spell scrolls. She turned her sight on Masato, who was now growling loudly. His face had half-transformed, looking distinctly feline. Their eyes locked, and she could feel his frustration and his bloodlust.

Keeping her eyes fixed on Masato, Sango caught Hiraikotsu. The unyielding stare he gave her surprised her; there wasn't an ounce of fear in his eyes. "I don't have time to play around, youkai," she mumbled as she, with another swirl, sent her weapon straight at him.

Masato's eyes started to glow red. With a loud shout, he broke free of Miroku's spell and crouched below Hiraikotsu, evading it by a hair's breath. As it flew over him, he struck out with his fist, hitting the weapon on the flat side, changing its course. With a loud thud, it dug into the ground some way behind him.

For a second, Sango would have bet that he was about to transform into his youkai form, but then the glow in his eyes vanished and his face slowly returned to normal.

Sango changed her stance and drew her sword, silently cursing that she hadn't managed to take him out. At least one of his men was down, and the other had taken a serious wound.

"Not bad, human," Masato growled as he freed Katsu with a slice of his claw. "I guess that's what you get for underestimating your opponent. Please excuse my rudeness."

Sango gulped, the bad feeling in her stomach increasing. For having been in a battle rage just moments ago, the youkai now looked eerily calm.

"Apology accepted," Miroku said, taking a step forward, partially shielding Sango from the youkai. "What is your business here, youkai?"

Masato coldly looked at Miroku. "The time for words is past."

"It seems awfully cowardly to attack a little human village with a dozen youkai, don't you think?" Miroku pressed on.

"Don't call me a coward, monk!" Masato growled. "We were acting perfectly civil until this mental hanyou attacked us all of a sudden."

"This _mental hanyou_ is our friend and wouldn't attack you without reason," Miroku stated. "What is your relation with Isobe Hachiro? What are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, monk," Masato said. "If you were wise, you would keep your nose out of it."

"You ganged up on Inuyasha," Miroku replied. "You have to be prepared for his friends also joining the fray."

Masato was about to reply, but then stopped, looking shaken for a second. He turned back to the other group, finding the fight still continuing. Sango's heart gave a jump when she made out Inuyasha, but her joy vanished when she saw a youkai landing a straight hit at the hanyou's cheekbone.

"Inuyasha…" Masato mumbled, turning back to Sango and Miroku. "The brother of the western leader?"

"The very same," Miroku replied. "You can bet that Sessoumaru won't be happy hearing about this."

"We'll see about that," Masato said, dropping into a battle stance. "Haruka, Katsu, I want to question them. Keep alive as many as you can."

The two youkai barely had time to comply before Masato launched himself forward. In a rush, they hurried after him.

"I can't use the wind tunnel in a village," Miroku whispered quickly. "Should we retreat?"

"Only if we have to," Sango replied.

She couldn't say more; Masato had already reached them, striking out with his claw. Sango countered with a strike of her sword, driving the youkai back.

Haruka and Katsu finally caught up and moved into their flanks, taking Miroku and Sango into a pincer. Following her intuition, Sango took the initiative and attacked Haruka. Masato tried to hit her in the side, but Miroku struck out with his staff and, blocking his path, engaged the youkai into a fight.

Focusing her full attention on Haruka, Sango attacked. Like before, the youkai showed great reflexes and flexibility, evading her strike, but that was what Sango had counted on. _'No battle experience,'_ she thought and targeted another strike straight at Haruka's neck.

That's when, eying her aim, the youkai's necklace caught her eye. _'It looks like Inuyasha's!'_ Sango thought with a start. In her surprise, her strike slowed down and her opponent could avoid it again. Still, the sword left a cut, barely missing the carotid.

With a cry, Haruka stumbled back, holding a hand to her bleeding neck, also shielding her necklace from a closer look. Sango cursed for letting herself get distracted and followed, taking along the swing of the sword for an overhead strike.

Haruka ducked, fear evident on her face, obviously having caught on to the fact that Sango – especially armed with a sword – was way out of her league. "Please!" the youkai shouted, taking another step away from Sango, "spare me!"

In her hurry, Haruka stumbled over a little bump in the ground and fell backward. Her head hit a stone with a loud thud and then rolled to the side. Sango took the sword in a two-handed grip, preparing to finish her off, but couldn't help but wonder if her opponent was already unconscious.

'_I can't take any chances,'_ she reminded herself and made to kill the youkai, when she heard Miroku crying out behind her. She turned around, finding the monk with a deep wound in his left leg. With his remaining arm, Katsu had gotten a hold on Miroku's staff, while Masato had likely been the one to injure the monk, blood dripping from his claws.

Making a quick decision, Sango hurried back, leaving Haruka lying on the ground. Before she reached them, she saw Kirara suddenly jump at Katsu, burying the youkai beneath her paws. Taking advantage of the commotion, Miroku could wrestle his staff out of Katsu's hands.

Threatening to bite Katsu' throat, Kirara growled loudly, keeping an eye on Masato. The youkai growled back, making a shooing motion. Then, somehow sensing Sango's attack, he turned around and met the strike she threw at him with his claws. With a loud noise, her sword shattered. Disbelievingly, Sango saw Masato's claws pass inches before her face.

She took a step backward, keeping what was left of her sword between herself and the youkai. To her surprise, Masato didn't push his advantage. "Give up," he said in a calm voice. "If you turn yourself in peacefully, maybe I can let you live. At the very least, I can promise you a quick and painless death."

"I'm a taijiya," Sango hissed back. "A death like that would be a disgrace to me!"

"A taijiya risking her life for a hanyou?" Masato asked. "Are you sure you have your priorities straight?"

Keeping her attention on the youkai, Sango gazed longingly at Hiraikotsu out of the corner of her eye. Could she reach it? With a real weapon instead of this crappy sword, things would be different. What she needed was a diversion; this wasn't an opponent she could turn her back to.

As if reading her thought, Kirara locked eyes with her. Sango nodded and threw her sword at Masato; Kirara ripped out Katsu's throat, his cry ending in a sudden gurgle, and then launched herself at Masato.

Trusting Kirara and Miroku to keep the youkai busy, Sango turned around and ran as fast as she could.

It seemed to take forever until she reached Hiraikotsu. _'Faster!' _Loud growling and shouts came from behind her, but she didn't dare look back.

When she finally reached her trusted weapon, she jerked it out of the ground and turned around to find Kirara jumping at Masato. Almost too quick for the eye to follow, he dodged and struck at her.

Kirara made a high-pitched whine and crashed to the ground.

"No… Kirara," Sango whispered. How badly was the cat hurt? Her worries grew when Kirara didn't move and transformed into her smaller form.

"Masato!" Sango yelled. Not caring about anything else, she threw Hiraikotsu at the youkai and started forward.

Miroku had to jump away to avoid the weapon, and Masato jumped right after him. Sango rushed forward to the spot where Hiraikotsu would meet up with her, keeping her eyes on the youkai. She could see the back of his hand smeared with blood. There was also a wound on his leg, and a cut over his eye, which was starting to bleed. Kirara and Miroku _had_ put him under pressure.

"Prepare to die!" Sango shouted, jumping forward to catch Hiraikotsu.

As if to mock her, Masato jumped up and turned his back towards her, attacking Miroku. The monk was still on the ground after dodging Hiraikotsu, his expression unusually tightlipped. When Masato grabbed for him, Miroku tried to defend himself, but was too slow. Masato smashed the staff out of his hands and then hoisted the monk up by the neck.

When their faces were level, Masato turned around, holding Miroku in front of him like a shield. "Enough of this," he said in a commanding voice. "Drop your weapons if the lives of your friends means anything to you." As if to underline his threat, he dug his claws into Miroku's neck.

The monk winced, but shouted, "Sango, don't listen to him. Think about yourself, think about Kagome!"

Sango stopped dead, holding Hiraikotsu ready for another throw. Her mind worked furiously. If there was anyone she couldn't lose, it was Miroku. But if she threw her weapon away, all of them were as good as dead.

"I stand to my promise," Masato continued. "Turn yourself in peacefully, and maybe we can work this out."

Sango saw Haruka still lying on the ground next to her. "Hurt Miroku," she said, pointing at the unconscious figure, "and your woman dies."

"Kill her if you must," Masato replied.

"I will," Sango shot back desperately. "Release him!"

But Masato didn't budge. Suddenly, something little shot at him from behind – Shippou. Hoping for a diversion, Sango started forward, but Masato reacted immediately. He turned to the side, giving Shippou a hit with his free fist, and sent the fox demon sprawling back.

Before Sango could reach him, he had already turned back to her. "One more step, and I'll really kill the monk," he said, sounding dead serious.

Sango stopped, cursing. A few more steps, and she could have saved Miroku. She saw the monk's body flex, and the youkai obviously noticed it as well. "Don't do anything stupid, monk," Masato said. "If you heroically sacrifice yourself, there's still the girl behind us and the fox child."

At hearing Kagome mentioned, Sango looked quickly, finding the girl kneeling unsteadily on the ground. She looked awful, her body shivering violently. She didn't seem in any condition to turn the tide.

"You've lost, accept it," Masato said. "Your hanyou friend is finished as well."

Sango turned around, finding Inuyasha held by two youkai, while the others punched him. It was hard to tell whether he was still conscious.

After a few seconds, Sango closed her eyes and dropped Hiraikotsu. "You've won," she said, her voice sounding like that of somebody else to her.

_'I'm sorry,' _she thought, collectively thinking of everyone around her. She didn't think their chances of working this out were great, not after all the casualties on the other side.

"Go take a look at your cat," Masato said, snapping Sango out of her thoughts. "Maybe you can do something for her."

Not liking follwing the youkai's orders, but having little else she could do, Sango turned to the side and ran to Kirara. Gulping, she knelt down next to her.

There was an awful lot of blood on the ground. The cat didn't move at all, she didn't even seem to be breathing.

"Kirara!" Sango said disbelievingly. She scooped the cat up, her heart skipping a beat when the head of the little cat rolled to the side.

"No…" Sango whispered, putting her back on the ground. This couldn't be true. "Kirara!"

She placed her ear on Kirara's chest, but there was no breathing, no heartbeat, nothing. "Kirara!" Sango cried, her sight turning blurry. "Kirara..."

With a shaking hand, Sango grasped down, hoping against all hope that Kirara was still alive. She touched the neck, feeling for a pulse, but there was nothing. Just blood, everywhere.

She felt like a part of her died that moment. Since she could remember, Kirara had been with her. They'd been inseparable since she had been a little girl. She'd often been Sango's only companion when she'd set out to exterminate a youkai. They'd been through hell and back again.

It hurt.

It hurt so much. "Kirara!"

"Watch out for the prayer beads," she heard Masato say behind her, "I think there something about them, he tried removing them before. Tie his hands behind his back."

Sango turned around, hatred boiling up in her. She found Masato standing over Miroku, who was lying on his stomach, a youkai tying his arms behind his back with a rope.

"You bastard!" Sango screamed. She jumped up and sprinted at him. The world around her felt unreal; only Masato and her, that was all that mattered.

Another youkai jumped in her path, but Sango ducked under his grip and continued, only having eyes for the murderer of Kirara.

When she reached him, she punched him with all her might. It felt like hitting a wall, yet she didn't care, throwing another punch. But strong arms seized her from behind, pulling her away from Masato.

"Let me go!" she roared and stepped violently on her assailants' foot. Hearing a cry from behind, she was free again and charged at Masato.

The youkai dodged, but she got another two hits in until she was seized again and pushed to the ground, forced to lie on her stomach. She cried out in pain when someone rammed his knee in her back, pinning her to the ground. Strong hands grabbed her by the wrists and twisted her arms behind her back.

Someone stepped before her and crouched down; Sango strained her neck, looking up. She found Isobe Hachiro leering down at her. Almost gently, he put an arm on her shoulder.

"Don't worry your little head too much, cutie," he said with a cruel smile. "You'll be reunited with your kitty soon enough."


	35. Chapter 34: Unleash the Beast

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**November 28****th****, 2009: **Chapter finished.

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Hypocrisy_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell _and _dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 34**

_I'm squeezing it  
I'll eat their guts  
I'll remove your skin  
I will never stop_

_**Unleash the Beast**_

Miroku struggled against his bonds, but to no avail. With his arms behind his back and his feet bound together, all he could do was wriggle on the floor. "Sango!" he shouted. "Leave her alone. It was all my idea!"

Isobe looked in his direction. The bastard had a hand on Sango's shoulder, as if to console her. _'Get away from her!'_ Miroku thought with a mixture of anger and panic.

"I swear it's true!" he continued in a pleading voice. "She's got nothing to do with this."

"Shut up, you bastard!" someone shouted above him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move and then pain exploded in his chest. Miroku gasped, curling to lie on his side.

"You really think you can talk your way out of this, huh?" the voice continued. Miroku glanced up, finding a tall and rather lean youkai glaring down at him with cold blue eyes. "After killing so many?"

Miroku saw him strike out with his foot. All he could do was strain his body, but it didn't really help when the kick got him straight in the stomach.

"Aaargh!" Miroku's cry ended in a retching sound.

"Miroku!" he remotely registered Sango shout. He tried to tell her not to worry, but couldn't manage a single comprehensible word.

"That's enough, Nobu!" Masato's interrupted sharply, "I said I want to question them."

"Don't order me around!" the youkai shot back. Miroku saw another kick coming, and was hit in the chest. He thought he heard a rib crack; at least it hurt like hell.

He waited for the next kick, but none came. Slowly getting his stomach under control, he looked up and tried to follow what was going on above him.

Masato and Nobu were glaring at each other. "I left them alive to question them," Masato stated slowly. He demonstratively flexed his claws and said, "Hurt him again, and lose your head."

"You're not our leader!" the youkai replied. "You can order around your flunkies, except they're all dead now, aren't they?"

Isobe stood up. "Enough already! What's going on over there?"

Masato turned to the human and said, "I want to question them – maybe they know something of interest."

"Those kids?" Isobe asked disbelievingly. "They don't look like they have even a faint idea of what's going on."

Masato looked at Isobe, his expression completely neutral. "I can't rule it out. The whole business with the hanyou seems fishy. Why would he turn up all of a sudden?"

"I already told you," Isobe replied in an annoyed voice, "the hanyou and I have a score to settle. He's made a few friends, that's all."

"A very strange group of friends," Masato said.

Isobe shrugged. "They're strange beings, hanyou." He waved over Miroku and Sango. "You can have them, if you're so keen to have a chat with them. The girl and the fox are mine."

Masato nodded after a second. "What do you plan to do with them?" he asked.

"I can't accept the losses just like that, can I?" Isobe answered with a grin. He turned around to Nobu, who still stood over Miroku, looking ready to kill. "You and Ryota, help Masato. Carry them inside the tent."

Nobu gulped, his hands forming fists. After a second, he said darkly, "As you wish." He picked up Miroku like a sandbag and shouldered him.

The youkai who had tied Sango, obviously Ryota, did likewise with her. "Weighs next to nothing, the little killer…" he mentioned to Nobu. "How can she throw that giant weapon around?"

"I couldn't care less," Nobu said through gritted teeth. "Let's go."

The two set in motion. Slung over the youkai's shoulder, Miroku couldn't see where they were headed. He strained his neck to at least get a look at what happened to his friends.

A youkai was currently tying Kagome's hands. The girl was shivering, seemingly unable to put up a fight. Another youkai walked over to Shippou.

Then Ryota stepped into his field of view. "Curiosity killed the cat," he said lightly.

"It was all my idea," Miroku repeated. "They have nothing -"

"Do I look like I care?" Ryota interrupted. "It seems Masato wants to talk with you. Why don't you tell him?"

"What will he do to them?" Miroku asked, nodding at Kagome. Waiting for the reply, he mustered the youkai. He was smaller than Nobu, but a lot sturdier. His face only showing showing indifference, he was looking at him with his cat-like eyes.

"How should I know?" Ryota replied with a bored voice. "You killed quite a few of us, you know? Now shut up already."

They entered a tent, the fabric blocking Miroku's sight to the outside. Although he could only see part of it from his position, it seemed large – he guessed each side to be at least ten meters long. Somewhere in the back, a little lamp was burning, providing a gloomy lighting. Other than that, the tent was empty.

Suddenly, he fell to the ground. Miroku stifled a cry, falling hard on his hurt arm, and came to lie on his back.

"Oh, clumsy me, I'm so sorry," Nobu said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Miroku swallowed, then shook his head. "No, I'm all right," he said as evenly as he could, unwilling to give the youkai the satisfaction. "Accidents happen."

He became painfully aware that he and Sango were alone in the tent and at the complete mercy of these two youkai. Their eyes glowed in the half-dark, hinting at how dangerous they were. He could only hope that they were too afraid of Isobe to try anything.

If he had to attempt threatening them, Isobe seemed to be the only name with enough weight. Why they were more afraid of the human than Masato, who was one hell of a fighter, was what puzzled him the most. Something was going on behind the scenes, and he better figure out what it was quickly. Isobe was the obvious leader, but Masato seemed to have a unique position.

"Come on, Nobu," Ryota said, Sango still on his shoulder. "Be glad you're still alive and cut the crap. Masato's already pissed at you as it is."

"The bastards killed four of us," Nobu replied. "And that's without counting Masato's men."

_'Masato's men – there are two factions!'_ Miroku realized. He remembered that Nobu had already mentioned Masato's _flunkies_ before. Maybe there was a leadership quarrel he could use to his advantage?

"So what?" Ryota asked. "Better them than us, eh?" he continued and gave Nobu a clap on the shoulder. "You need to relax a bit, buddy."

He finally heaved Sango from his shoulder and carefully set her on the ground next to Miroku. The monk didn't dare to speak, and just tried to catch Sango's eye. But she didn't look at him at all, crying silently, and turned over in the other direction.

"That damn Masato," Nobu continued, talking more to himself than to Ryota. "If he weren't here-"

Ryota laughed, interrupting Nobu. "You should be grateful to him, you idiot. If Masato hadn't stopped her, this vixen here might have killed a lot more. Like you and me." He stopped and looked down to Sango, saying, "Ain't I right?"

Miroku turned his head to Sango again, but she seemingly hadn't even heard the question. "Kirara…" she mumbled, crying, and curled herself together.

He gulped. He had only seen Kirara being slashed by Masato; but she had always been a tough one. She couldn't be dead, could she? Seeing Sango like this made him fear the worst.

"You can just forgive them like that?" Nobu asked heatedly. "I want to take revenge! We're living beings, damn it!"

"Shut up, you sissy!" Ryota laughed. "You know what? I have an idea." He turned around and went to take a peek outside the tent.

"Looks good!" he said and took his shirt off.

'_What the?'_ Miroku thought as he watched the youkai tear it in two as he walked back.

"What's your name?" Ryota asked, kneeling down before Miroku.

"Wha-" His answer was cut short when Ryota quickly stuffed one part of his shirt into Miroku's mouth.

"What are you planning?" Nobu asked, voicing what Miroku no longer could.

"You said you wanna take revenge, didn't you?" Ryota asked while he secured the makeshift gag. "But Masato will get us if we hurt them."

Miroku tried to spit out the shirt, but couldn't. It tasted like it hadn't been washed in a while. Adrenaline surged through his body once more.

Ryota grinned as he saw the monk squirm. "There, finished," he laughed and turned to Sango.

Miroku tried to warn her. "Mmmmfff!"

He thought he caught her attention, but Ryota was quicker and started to gag her as well. "You know," the youkai said as he finished his work, "judging from how the guy started to blabber that it's all his fault – she's his girl."

"Are you crazy?" Nobu asked after a moment. "She's human, for fuck's sake! Can you never think of anything else?"

"Oh, come on," Ryota said. "Ever since Atsuko and Chika never returned from that castle lord, I haven't been together with a woman. Curse Haruka for being so picky."

"You're disgusting!" Nobu said. "Do you honestly want to screw her right here?"

"MMMFFFFF!" Miroku cried into his gag, struggling with all his might. "MMMF MMMMFF!" He jerked with his arms and kicked with his legs, experiencing a kind of fear he hadn't known before.

"Lord Isobe will be furious!" Nobu continued. "Stop it!"

"_You_ said that you want revenge!" Ryota replied sharply. "If you have a better idea, just let me know. Technically, it's not hurting them, is it?"

Nobu contemplated for a while. Sango had started to struggle as well, finally having snapped out of her stupor. Her muffled shouts thundered in Miroku's ears. _'Stay away from her!'_ he thought.

"All right. But he has to watch it," Nobu finally said and pointed at Miroku.

"If it turns you on," Ryota laughed.

"It doesn't!" Nobu hissed angrily. "But it's the only revenge I can think of."

Sango was still trying to free herself with all her might.

"Come on, calm down," Ryota said to Sango, inching closer. "You might be dead in a few hours…. Let's have a good time while we still can! You'll like it, I promise!"

'_What can I do?'_ Miroku thought desperately. He tried his best to make noise and grab someone's attention. _'Sango! Leave her alone! She's my girl!'_

This earned him another kick in the stomach. "MMFFFF!" Air! He needed air! He breathed as fast as he could through his nose. Sango!

"Shut up, you bastard," Nobu said. "Nobody can hear you like this, anyway."

Ryota grabbed Sango's bound legs and held them against his chest. Sango struggled and kicked, but Ryota didn't seem to care and just held her legs in place with one arm. "She was so sad a moment ago.... Look, she has already cheered up!" He gave Sango a clap to the behind and laughed at her muffled cry.

"When you look at her like this, she's cute, isn't she?" He grabbed one of Sango's breasts and started massaging her through the fabric of her battle suit. Sango cried into her gag and continued struggling with her feet.

Miroku felt tears of anger well in his eyes. He wrenched at his ties so hard they were biting into his wrists, but they wouldn't budge. All the while he continued trying to make noise, but nobody came to help. Even the youkai just ignored him, their eerily glowing eyes fixed on the struggling Sango.

"She's a human! And a freakin' _youkai slayer _to boot!" Nobu said exasperatedly. "Just get it over with."

"Hey, she's not in the mood yet!" Ryota said defensively, still fondling Sango.

"And I doubt she'll ever be!" Nobu replied. "What if Masato comes in?"

"I guess you're right," Ryota said and looked at Sango. "Seems like the two of us don't have a lot of time, eh? Those pants are very hot, really, but they're kind of in the way. What? You want to get rid of them? So that's why you're kicking so much… I'd be glad to assist you! Yes, yes, I'm a very helpful gentleman. You need not thank me."

He grabbed towards her waist and, with a jerk, pulled Sango's pants down.

Miroku would have given anything to murder Ryota on the spot.

* * *

Sitting on the ground, Kagome glanced down at her hands. She had to look like a picture of misery - they had only bound her wrists together, not bothering to restrain her as much as her friends. _'What has Isobe done to me?'_ she wondered, feeling cold and nauseous.

Trying to stay focused, she looked over to Inuyasha. He lay on the ground twenty meters away. Over the last minutes, he hadn't moved an inch. _'They wouldn't stand watch over him if he were dead,'_ she told herself once more. Yet her anxious feeling wouldn't vanish - he was seriously hurt and she couldn't even look after him.

She had tried to crawl over, but the youkai looking over her hadn't let her. She glanced up to her guard out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't even looking in her direction, instead following the two youkai that were carrying away the dead.

The security over Inuyasha was much stricter: four youkai formed a circle around him. So far, she hadn't noticed even one of them take their eyes off him for a single second.

"Hey, she's breathing," she heard a voice from the side. The two youkai assigned with cleaning up stood over Haruka. It seemed they had just wanted to drag her off. "Our big sister's still alive!"

"She's like a cockroach," the other grunted, but smiled as well.

They dragged her to a hut and propped her up against the wall, quickly checking her. She still seemed to be unconscious, not having moved an inch since her fight with Sango. The two youkai made sure she sat upright and then went back to continue their work.

Kagome returned to looking about. At first sight, the youkai looked like they were between twenty and thirty years of age. Apart from Haruka, only one of the youkai was female, one of those watching Inuyasha. They were all wearing inconspicuous clothing so that they could have been mistaken for human peasants. It was creepy to watch them, as if she had stumbled upon a cursed village whose inhabitants turned into monsters by night to feed upon any unlucky travelers.

Every time one of them looked at her, she had to suppress a shiver. _'This can't be happening,'_ she thought. All of them captured. Kirara, dead. Tears formed in her eyes again.

She looked over to Isobe. He was still talking with Masato, though too quietly to follow. _'It's all __his fault.' _If he hadn't followed them and fought with Inuyasha….

If only she had hit him with her arrow, back in Kaede's village! None of this would have happened.

She heard something and slowly looked to the side, still crying. She saw about fifty villagers, armed with bamboo spears and torches, quickly marching in their direction.

_'I'm saved!' _was her only thought. A girl captured by youkai – they _had _to help her.

Isobe and Masato stopped their discussion. The youkai stepped back, leaving the field to Isobe, who went to meet the approaching mob.

"The danger is averted!" Isobe said solemnly when he met up with the villagers. "My youkai have defeated the attackers."

The words invigorated the people, some of them cheering loudly. One man stepped forward. "A great victory!" he said enthusiastically. "Surely, this village has nothing to fear while you reside here."

Isobe bowed. "That's too much of an honor," he replied humbly. "I only did what I could."

Kagome stared at the scene with disbelief. "No!" she shouted weakly. "It's him who -"

This caught the attention of the human leader. "Hey, there is still one alive!" he shouted.

"Wait!" Kagome exclaimed and coughed. "You've got it all wrong! It's him who attacked us! It's not our fault –"

Isobe looked at her sadly. "Why do you keep spilling your lies? Can't you just leave these hardworking people in peace? Your plot has failed."

Kagome stared at him, hearing approving whispers from the humans. She desperately turned to them and shouted, "We helped you two weeks ago! The magpie youkai, you can't have forgotten."

The human leader stepped closer and illuminated her face with his torch. "Really, it's you…" he said.

"Don't let yourself be fooled," Isobe said. "It was all just an act to prepare this attack. You know that I traveled after them, but couldn't find them anywhere. They must have hidden themselves in the forest, waiting for the right moment."

"That's a lie!" Kagome said, the feeling of dread in her stomach growing.

"Yes – _your_ story is all a lie!" Isobe replied. "You may think that you can fool us, but the people living here are smarter than that. _Everybody _saw that we were attacked. Am I not correct?"

The humans murmured comments of agreement. Isobe turned to them. "My youkai were just giving a performance, and suddenly that hanyou attacked us with that crazy sword of his. It's clearly evil sorcery, changing its shape in the blink of an eye."

"It's a sword that _protects _humans!" Kagome shouted, starting to cry. "Unlike yours!"

A silence ensued. Then, a human suddenly stepped forward. Kagome thought that she'd seen him before, but where?

He stopped right in front of her. "I don't really understand the situation. But I know one thing: I don't want to be protected by the likes of you," he said, his fists shaking besides him. After a second, he spit at her. "Youkai whore."

With that, he turned around and left at a brisk pace. Kagome stared after him. _'This can't be true...'_ she thought in terror. She turned to the others who were all staring at her. "Help me!" she shouted, her vision wavering. "For heaven's sake!"

Nobody moved. "Poor Gihei," somebody said in the back rows. "He never was the same after his family was killed..."

Then, a cry split the cool night air. It wasn't even remotely human. Bestial and high-pitched, it made Kagome's heart skip a beat.

She turned around, finding Inuyasha stand with his back to them. Blood dripped thickly from his claws. Two of his guards were lying on the ground, both missing their heads. The other two were running in her direction like the devil was behind them.

Inuyasha turned around, and the temperature seemed to drop. He looked like a monster, his face twisted into a mask of hatred. Malice and chaos lurked in his blood-red eyes.

A collective gasp ran through the humans. Seeing them, Inuyasha dropped into a crouch, baring his fangs and flexing his claws, and unleashed another of his unearthly screams at them.

Then he started after the two fleeing youkai. He took a few leaps on all fours, catching up with them quickly, and then jumped at the female youkai, slashing at her shoulder with a growl.

Kagome flinched when the youkai went down with a cry, Inuyasha coming to sit on her back. The scream ended abruptly when Inuyasha buried his fangs in her neck.

"Damn..." Isobe said with a shaking voice, taking a step back. He turned around to the humans. "Run!" he shouted. "Run as fast as you can!"

He didn't need to tell them twice. The first had already turned around, the others were quick to follow. A few stumbled, the others simply ran over them in a panic.

Masato stared at Inuyasha in disbelief. "What the hell is this?"

"Masato!" Isobe shouted. "Stop him as fast as you can!"

"Why me?" Masato asked. "He's your problem."

Having killed his victim, Inuyasha looked up and immediately hunted after the last fleeing youkai.

"You're the only one who can!" Isobe hissed. "Stop him! _Now_!"

After taking a deep breath, Masato ran to intercept Inuyasha. The other youkai ran for his life, crying for help. Inuyasha was only meters behind him, quickly catching up, growling loudly. With his face smeared with blood and the glowing red eyes, he looked like a spawn of hell chasing after a soul.

Masato made it in time. Right as Inuyasha was about to strike his prey, Masato crashed into Inuyasha with a loud bang. A cloud of dust raised from the impact, momentarily shielding the scene from view.

Kagome didn't know what to do. This was their chance to defeat them, but to what end? Inuyasha seemed beyond reason, and most of all, the youkai state was as dangerous to him as to those around him. Everything in her screamed to stop him.

She looked to the side, finding Tetsusaiga still sticking in the wall. It could turn Inuyasha back, but could he carry on the fight without borrowing the power of his youkai blood?

Suddenly, something tugged harshly at her hair, jerking her head up.

"Don't even think of running, you little bitch," Isobe whispered into her ear, his voice dripping with venom. "Stop him."

* * *

**Author rantings:**

A new chapter almost within a month! I'm actually very happy that I managed to post a chapter quickly, even if it's probably a bit short.

It's almost exactly a year since I took up this story again – time to reminisce. I guess some scenes turned out too long. From a cynical perspective, it looks like hardly anything happened and everything was just one big (and somewhat dull) transition. The plot had probably become a bit too complex for a beginner like me to handle. There were too many loose ends, and I felt like I had to tie them up at least provisorily. I maybe should have spent less time doing so.

Sometimes I wonder what the hell had gotten into me when I started this project. I had never written nor planned a story before, and to start with something so big was probably not the smartest idea.^^ What seemed cool and fitting back then, now seems unnecessarily fragmented. For instance, the Souta plot might have made an interesting story on its own. I'm looking forward to continuing it, but for the moment this part is put on ice and that still feels unsatisfactory.

I think I've lost a lot of readers due to my lacking expertise. The number of reviews has dropped considerably, mirroring this development.

However!

The last few chapters finally feel like they're back on track. They don't seem to drag on to me, and it was exciting to write them. I have a good idea of where I'm heading and I hope that this has led (and will continue to lead) to a more coherent reading experience.

There's this story I want to tell, and I feel like I've finally managed to pick up the thread again. I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapters, and I'm sure that they'll be thrilling to read.

In that light, thank you for sticking with me for this year, I'll do my best so you won't regret it. See you in the next chapter, _"The frayed ends of sanity"_!


	36. Chapter 35: The Frayed Ends of Sanity

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**January 14****th****, 2010: **Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Metallica_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell _and _dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 35**

_Birth of terror, death of much more  
I'm the slave of fear, my captor  
Never warnings, spreading its wings  
As I wait for the horror she brings  
Loss of interest, question, wonder  
Waves of fear, they pull me under_

_**The Frayed Ends Of Sanity**_

When Ryota started fondling her breasts, panic took hold of Sango's mind. She continued trying to free her feet, but his hold was like a vise. With her limbs bound, there was nothing she could do to oppose his youkai strength. Breathing fast and erratic, she felt something in herself tighten in fear.

Miroku's widened eyes were still fresh in her memory. She hadn't been able to stand him looking at her and turned away from him. If she had looked into his eyes for just a moment longer, she would have just let everything happen, unable to stand the shame.

Now Ryota was saying something to her, the meaning of his words not reaching through the haze that clouded her mind. She looked around frantically, her eyes coming to rest on the entrance of the tent. She wished for someone to enter, for someone to help her, but only the dancing light of the bonfires outside fell through the opening.

Then she suddenly noticed that her pants were being pulled down.

Sango cried, tears finally forming in her eyes. The thought of biting her tongue flashed through her mind. But even that was impossible to her, due to the gag that was making her retch.

Time suddenly seemed to slow. She thought of her family, imagining their accusing looks._ 'I'm sorry for disgracing you,' _she thought. _'Forgive me.'_ Yet their faces wouldn't soften, no matter how much she apologized and begged. Hard and unrelenting, they seemed to stare at her.

And she realized that they wouldn't let her abandon herself. She had given up what was no longer hers, but belonged to all the people of her village. They would only accept a sacrifice for a greater purpose, for a single purpose. All the lives that had ended for a single shard of the accursed jewel – it was upon her to avenge them and put their souls to rest.

Realizing the weight of her responsibility, her _debt_, she suddenly felt liberated from fear and modesty. She looked up as Ryota leaned down toward her slowly, seeing the slightly bloated structure of his face, the cat-like slits of his eyes, the little dots that speckled his irises with a clarity that was almost overwhelming. He was grabbing toward her chest again, infinitely slow.

Putting all her power behind it, Sango sat up with a jerk. When her forehead hit his nose, she could hear the bone break.

The shattering noise broke the spell that lay over her. She felt him release her legs and took the chance to roll away from him, towards the entrance of the tent.

"You damn bitch," she heard Ryota curse while every roll brought her closer.

Her escape ended when Nobu stepped into her path, blocking her. _'No!' _Sango cursed. Only a few steps separated her from the exit.

She looked up to Nobu. He wasn't even looking at her but at Ryota, saying, "You all right?"

"She broke my nose, the little minx," Ryota answered. Sango turned her head around, finding him with a hand held over his mouth and nose. "She's a youkai slayer, all right," he said, blood running down between his fingers.

"Are you sure it's worth the risk?" Nobu asked.

"You think she'll twist my thing off with some freakin' ninja sex techniques, or what?" Ryota asked sarcastically. "Get real."

"Well, you know the rumors about those youkai hunters," Nobu stated, pointing down at Sango, "I wouldn't put my most precious part anywhere near her."

A bestial cry suddenly interrupted. Shocked, Sango looked at the entrance of the tent, but she was too far to the left. From her position, she could only see one of the bonfires sending little sparks into the evening sky.

"What the hell was that?" Ryota asked, his voice sounding unsettled.

"How should I know?" Nobu answered.

Ryota pointed at the entrance with his other hand. "So go take a look already!"

A second scream. Sango had to suppress a flinch. Whatever was happening outside, it didn't sound good. At least the two youkai had forgotten about her for the moment; both stared at the entrance.

"Why don't you take a look yourself?" Nobu asked after a moment.

The two youkai stared at each other silently. "I'm hurt," Ryota said finally, pointing at his nose.

"Idiot," Nobu cursed, but carefully moved to the entrance, and peeked outside. "No! Umeko!" he suddenly shouted, anger in his voice.

"What!?" Ryota shouted impatiently.

"That hanyou has just killed Umeko! I don't believe it!"

"The bastard is _still_ able to move?" Ryota cursed. He ran towards the entrance, carelessly passing Sango, and came to a stop next to Nobu.

_'Inuyasha?' _Sango thought, gulping. It wasn't that she was unhappy about the interruption, but that hadn't sounded anything like Inuyasha. She stretched herself and wriggled forward, trying to get a look through the feet of the youkai. Maybe he could help her if he saw her.

She managed to snatch a glance at Inuyasha and found him engaged in a battle with Masato. Both were going at each other with everything they had. With a sinking feeling she noticed the blood-red glow of Inuyasha's eyes and the thick stripes in his face, ascertaining what she had feared. His youkai blood had taken over.

And it looked like he was hellbent on destroying himself alongside his foe, fighting with a recklessness she hadn't seen before. Without a care for even the basics of battle, he traded deep gashes for little scratches, gave up superior positions just to stick to his opponent.

It was sickening to watch Inuyasha's fighting reduced to this vulgar carnage.

"He's raving mad," she heard Nobu whisper. "How can Lord Isobe want that lunatic?"

Ryota gulped. "Don't ask me..."

"No one's gonna be safe if he joins us," Nobu said. "What should we do?"

After a second, Ryota shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I have a pretty girl waiting for me," he said and turned around. The comment made Sango abandon the battle, looking up to the problem at hand. _'Leave me alone!'_ she thought, glaring up to them.

"Can't you for _once _think of something else?" Nobu cursed. "That hanyou is slaughtering our friends!"

"He's slaughtering _your _friends," Ryota corrected. "Why don't you go help them?"

A short silence. "Well, it looks like Masato's got the situation under control..." Nobu said after a second.

"Wuss!" Ryota laughed.

"Look who's talking," Nobu replied sharply. "All you can think about is a human girl, you hero."

"Better than having to go against that headcase," Ryota said. "Great old Masato will handle it, I'm sure." With that, he turned around to Sango and took the ropes binding her feet.

_'No!' _Sango cried mentally when the youkai started to drag her back inside. She looked at the entrance longingly, seeing it move away from her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the panic began to claw its way into the open again.

Sango closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She could feel the grass and the earth on her bare buttocks as Ryota dragged her further and further. If she only had her hands free! Just her left would be enough! With every pull, she felt fear and hysteria taking over.

In a last desperate attempt, she opened her eyes and looked at Miroku. _'Help me!'_

"MMFFFF!"

He had also moved towards the entrance and lay only a few feet away from her.

Then she noticed the tears glistening in his eyes. The sight tore at her, cutting the last thread that held her mind together. She was hurting him. She was hurting the person most precious to her. _'No!'_ she cried mentally. She started to buckle, throwing herself around.

_'No!'_ She kicked and trashed. Ryota tried to restrain her, but she turned and wriggled. _'No! No!' _She bit down on her gag, tugged at her ties, coiled up and stretched again.

_'NO!'_

* * *

Having Isobe so close to her, pictures of black leeches flashed before Kagome's mind. "I won't... help you another time," she said, shaking with fear and repulsion. _'Get away from me!'_

"You seem to be mistaken," he said and pointed forward, jerking her head in the same direction. "Masato is fighting for your sake as much as mine!"

Masato and Inuyasha were engaged a fierce battle. The hanyou attacked with brute force, showing no fatigue. Masato didn't pull his blows, either, moving almost too quick to follow, but his finesse was shadowed by the pure brutality of Inuyasha's onslaught. Whether Masato hit him with blows or slashed him with his claws, the hanyou didn't care and kept attacking like a raging tempest.

"Kiba... Inuyasha will keep fighting, no matter what," Isobe continued. "He can't beat Masato, not even with his youkai blood taking over. Masato will beat him to a cripple to stop him."

"I believe in Inuyasha," Kagome gritted out, wincing when she saw Masato dodge below Inuyasha and slash him, leaving a deep wound.

One of Isobe's youkai stormed at Inuyasha from behind, but the hanyou noticed the approaching attacker. With a snarl, he turned around and ran to meet him. Masato tried to follow Inuyasha, but was too slow. The hanyou attacked in whirl of claws, taking less than a second to hack the other youkai to pieces. With a victorious growl, he attacked Masato again.

"Stay the hell away from him!" Isobe yelled at the other youkai angrily, then turned back to Kagome. "He _cannot _win," he said insistently. "But lets assume he does – he would just come after you next. And you're in no state to escape from him."

"Inuyasha wouldn't -"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Isobe interrupted loudly. "_That_ is not Inuyasha. There's not even a trace of his mind left. For heaven's sake, just look at him!"

Inuyasha growled and hissed. He was bleeding from multiple wounds by now, his movement having slowed down. Still, he didn't show any care when Masato hit him.

"Every second the youkai blood is searing through him is one second too long," Isobe continued urgently. "If you stop him now, he might still come back. But I've seen it before - if a hanyou stays like this for too long, he'll lose his mind forever."

Kagome looked up aghast. She'd been too afraid to look at Isobe before, but now she needed to verify his words. He looked at her coldly, but his worry seemed honest. Was he really telling the truth?

She looked back to Inuyasha. It didn't look good for him. Masato was also bleeding from many wounds, but Inuyasha was a mess. He still kept on attacking without a care.

And he would stay like this - forever? Kagome gulped. _'Sit.'_ A single word could stop him. She could stop him, and betray him again. Just a little word.

_'What should I do?' _she thought desperately. She tried to form the word in her mouth, but it was as if her tongue wouldn't follow her.

"This is your responsibility!" Isobe growled. "There's no one but you who can safely prevent this."

"S- Si-" Kagome stuttered.

"Do it!"

The seconds that passed felt like forever. Kagome tried, but the word just didn't want to leave her mouth. Finally, she whispered, "I- I can't."

"You stupid girl!" Isobe shouted angrily, hurling her to the ground. "You are signing his death sentence!"

That moment, Masato got a hold of Inuyasha's hand and twisted it to the side. With a loud crunch, the hanyou's wrist broke. Seemingly not caring, Inuyasha stepped in and clawed at Masato with his other hand. Masato couldn't dodge it and took a deep wound on his upper arm, a low cry escaping him.

Inuyasha immediately launched the next attack, but his broken hand no longer followed him correctly. Masato took the strike and subsequently managed to place a kick right in the center of Inuyasha's chest. The hanyou flew back like a doll and crashed through the wooden wall of a hut, coming to lie inside.

There was a sudden silence. Masato didn't relax, warily watching the hole Inuyasha had disappeared through. Kagome held her hand to her mouth in shock. _'Please, stay down,'_ she wished despite herself.

But after a few seconds, Inuyasha stepped outside again. A broken wooden plank, almost as long as an arm, was sticking through his chest. Blood ran down the corner of his mouth as he growled at Masato.

Kagome closed her eyes, unable to watch. The sound of fighting once again assaulted her ears.

"Isobe," she said after a moment. "Give him his sword."

"Are you kidding me?" Isobe asked incredulously.

"It puts a seal on his youkai blood," Kagome continued.

"It puts a deadly weapon into his hands!" Isobe retorted. "I'm not stupid!"

"You want him alive, don't you?" Kagome shot back and stared up to him, begging the heavens that her hunch was right. "The sword's the only thing that's able to bring him back! It's got an enchantment that will calm him down." She made a pause, considering her next words. "I don't think he'll stay conscious once his youkai blood is forced back."

Isobe eyed her skeptically, then looked towards Tetsusaiga. "If you're lying... you're going to regret it with every fiber of your body."

"If Tetsusaiga can't bring him back, I have a lot more to regret."

Isobe took a deep breath. "All right. I'll get the sword. But if you want me to give it to him, you better make up your mind about using the rosary."

Kagome gulped. There was a chance that Inuyasha would stay conscious after getting Tetsusaiga. If she sat him, he'd be unable to fight on.

Isobe noticed her hesitation. "If you don't, I'll have to wait until Masato has beaten him unconscious. It's your decision."

With that, he ran for Tetsusaiga. Kagome stared after him, trying to come up with an idea. There had to be something she could do!

Isobe reached the sword and pulled it out of the wall. He looked at it quickly and then ran towards Inuyasha, but stopped well outside his reach.

After waiting for a second, he turned to Kagome. She stared back, feeling their wills battling. _'Give him the sword already!'_ she mentally screamed. _'You want him alive as much as I do!'_

But Isobe didn't give in, just glaring at her without saying a word.

_'Give him the damn sword!'_

It felt like forever. Kagome had to suppress a wince every time she heard Inuyasha's gurgling growls.

Finally, she broke eye contact, looking away from the whole scene. She couldn't bear to look at Inuyasha.

Her head sagged as she prepared to do what she had wanted to never repeat. She saw no way, no answer. She had come to help him, but no matter what she did, she could only hurt him.

_'Forgive me...'_ Kagome thought, starting to cry. _'I failed you.'_ She felt like stabbing herself as she whispered, "Sit."

* * *

It took a while for Sango to exhaust herself. Later, she couldn't have said whether it had been thirty seconds or thirty minutes. The time passed in a blur, shouts and growls and screams whirling around her.

When she finally came to her senses enough to take notice of her surroundings again, black dots were dancing before her eyes. Her breathing came in quick gasps; she didn't get enough air through her nose. Her gag tasted damp, soaked in her own saliva.

She looked around, feeling disoriented, and noticed that the two youkai were quarreling loudly. Nobu shouted something about having enough of Ryota's escapades, to which Ryota replied with putting Nobu's virility to question. It seemed like the dispute was on the verge of getting violent.

And really, only seconds later, Nobu answered an insult with a right hook.

"Fuck!" Ryota shouted, holding a hand to his face. "My nose! You freakin' bastard!" He ducked and stormed forward. With a growl, he tackled Nobu, and they stumbled to the ground. Unwilling to give up, the two youkai rolled around, neither getting into a superior position.

Abandoning their fight, Sango looked to the other side, finding Miroku only a meter next to her. He was looking at her, not caring about the two youkai at all. He looked like he'd been through a beating. He had a blue eye and was bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow.

His attention was entirely focused on her. She couldn't remember ever having seen him so unsettled. He wasn't crying like before, but he was staring at her, his usually calm eyes wide with panic.

Having forgotten about her gag, she tried to ask him if he was all right and reassure him, but only an incomprehensible groan left her mouth.

Miroku looked at her questioningly, but all she could do was shrug in reply.

After a second, Miroku nodded, then indicated towards the exit with his eyes.

Sango followed his gaze, greedily looking at the entrance. The two youkai were in the way, but not looking at them, still pummeling each other.

_'We can roll around them,'_ she thought. Miroku nodded as if reading her thoughts.

Together, they rolled towards the exit. They had already covered more than half the way, when she saw that Ryota had gotten the upper hand over Nobu, having managed to pin one arm under his body, and was throwing one punch after the other at the trapped youkai. The sound of his sickening laughter rang in her ears.

_'You damn asshole!' _Sango thought, her hatred for the youkai boiling over. She turned around and rolled towards Ryota. He had his back towards her and didn't notice her approach, his attention focused on Nobu.

When she was in range, she hoisted her feet up and then hammered down with full force against his head.

The resulting thud was music to her ears. Ryota tilted to the side with a cry, letting go of Nobu, and tried to crawl away unsteadily. _'You're not getting away!'_ Sango thought angrily, her attention focused on the fleeing youkai, and wriggled after him.

He tried to stand up shakily, but Sango kicked in the hollow of his knee, causing him to fall down again. Immediately, she struck out with her feet and let them pound down on his face once more. With a painful cry, Ryota jerked his arms up, trying to shield himself.

Unrelenting, Sango struck out again, when suddenly somebody gripped her shoulders and dragged her away. Angrily, she turned her head around. It was Nobu. He gulped when she stared at him.

"That's... enough," he said, lowering her to the ground very carefully after dragging her a short distance.

Suddenly, somebody appeared in the entrance of the tent. At first, Sango noticed only a silhouette, the flames of the bonfire dancing behind the newcomer like an angry aura.

"What is going on here?" Masato's voice cut through the air.

Nobu jumped up, letting go of her as if burned. Ryota seemed to have frozen on the spot.

The harsh question of the youkai made Sango hope for help, welcoming his sudden appearance. After a moment of euphoria, she gulped it down, feeling disgusted with herself.

Masato went inside. His upper body was naked, in his right hand a bloody rag that had once been his elaborate shirt. In his other hand he had a simple, but clean shirt to replace it. His hair and body were soaking wet, as if he had emptied a bucket of water over his head.

Getting a clear look at his body, Sango could see well-defined muscles, even for a youkai. The clothes had hid it somewhat, but he was athletic and in training. Together with the performance he had shown, it was clear that he was a fighter through and through.

He also had wounds practically everywhere on his body. A human, and many youkai as well, would have given out long ago. An especially nasty gash on his arm caught her eye; it looked like Inuyasha had cut down to the bone. It was still bleeding, as well as a gash on his arm.

Around his neck was a rosary. _'He's got one, too...'_ Sango wondered, remembering that the female youkai she'd fought with had also had one. She turned her head, looking at Nobu and Ryota. She couldn't find a rosary on them, but maybe they had them hidden under their clothes.

Masato was still getting closer, the only audible thing his rattling breaths. The youkai stopped a few feet away from Ryota and Nobu and violently threw the bloody remains of his shirt to the ground. "I asked: What _the hell_ is going on here?"

Ryota finally stood up. "Nothing to worry about," he said. His face looked swollen from Sango's attacks, and his voice sounded slightly distorted. "This little gal here looked so sad, I thought I'd cheer her up a bit...." He laughed uneasily and added, "We were just playing around."

Masato stared at the youkai in a mixture of disbelief and rage, flexing his claws. Both Ryota and Nobu took a step back.

"Right now, I feel like giving her back her sword," Masato said, his voice trembling dangerously, "and letting her _play around _with you."

Sango stared up to Ryota, for a second imagining a hundred ways she could use a sword. The youkai must have noticed her glare, because he took another step away from her.

"It was all his idea!" Nobu shouted suddenly and pointed at Ryota. "I tried to stop him! You can ask the girl!"

Ryota turned to Nobu. "You damn turncoat! You got cold feet because of that crackpot outside, that's all!"

"Shut up!" Masato bellowed. He stepped to the side and pointed at the exit. "You're lucky that Isobe lost so many today, or I'd have killed you already. Get out, before I change my mind."

Not needing to be told twice, they both hurried and left the tent. "You bastard!" Sango could hear Ryota say outside.

"You're the ass!" Nobu replied. "It's all your..." Their bickering voices faded quickly, and Sango could hardly understand what they were saying.

When she couldn't hear them anymore, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back to the ground.

She felt so tired. _'It's not over yet, it has barely begun,'_ she told herself, trying to summon the energy to rise again.

But what for? She hadn't even been able to help herself against those two youkai. What would be different against Masato?

Just a moment longer, not seeing anyone, not hearing anything. It had been a strenuous chase after Inuyasha, and a draining battle. She finally deserved a moment of peace. Kirara. The only companion that had been left to her was dead. Now she was, at last, all alone.

_'Enough...'_ Sango thought. _'I'm tired.'_

* * *

**Author rantings:**

Happy New Year! I hope you made it well into the next decade (or is it the last year of the old one? Nobody seems to know for sure...).

The last few chapters have been a bit short, I guess because they're more action-oriented. At least, there's also more frequent updates like this, so maybe that's a small advantage for everybody. Still, I'm beginning to miss my character insights. Must... resist... ;)

Actually, I fear it's still one or two chapters until I can finally pinch off a few minutes for introspective thinking. (*collective cheering*)

I'm still a bit divided about how the whole Sango thing is turning out. On one hand, I feel a bit like I'm, hmmm, taking the cheap way out of the situation, on the other hand, this much is enough for the plot and and any more would probably gather too much gravity.

To be honest, I _have_ thought about going all the way. See if I could pull it off. A lot of fanfic writers have tried their hand at sexual abuse and (at least in my eyes) failed at the delicate topic. Maybe that was why I decided against it in the end and stuck with the initial plan - it felt like I would have the poor girl raped just for my ambitions. (Which seems kinda twisted to me, even if we're 'just' talking about a fictional character.) Maybe I was also a bit afraid that I couldn't pull it off, either. ^^


	37. Chapter 36: Spearhead

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**February 26****th****, 2010: **Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Bolt Thrower_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell _and _dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 36**

_Now staring face to face  
Your eyes filled with hate  
Held by your contempt  
Both by weakness and by strength_

_**Spearhead**_

She felt like she'd barely lay back when a voice broke through to her.

"Sango!"

Miroku, his voice apprehensive.

Infinitely thankful to finally hear his voice, she opened her eyes and turned to him. He was looking at her with concern. Masato was kneeling next to him and threw Miroku's gag to the side, obviously just having removed it.

"Sango! How do you fe..." Miroku trailed off and suddenly broke eye contact. When he turned away, it hurt Sango deeply. _'Look at me!'_ she thought desperately.

After thinking for a second, Miroku asked, "Are you all right?" His voice was shaking, but he still wouldn't look at her.

She wanted to tell him that she was _not _all right. "Mmmff!"

He turned to her, but still wouldn't meet her eye. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his slick tongue had forsaken him for once.

Masato stood up and walked over to her. Sango was suddenly aware that her pants were still pulled down and she had to be giving both men a very clear look.

Feeling ashamed, she turned away and angled her feet, trying to obstruct the view as much as possible. She felt her eyes watering and blinked. When Masato circled her, approaching her from the direction above her head, she tensed. _'What's he up to?' _she thought desperately and strained her neck to keep him in her field of view. Unconsciously, she tugged at the ropes binding her arms behind her back.

Masato knelt down next to her head and hoisted the upper part of her body. Freezing, she closed her eyes. It was the last straw, she couldn't take it anymore. Everything in her clenched when she noticed a hand on her leg, but she couldn't summon up the energy for resistance.

With a jerk, her pants were pulled up. Surprised, Sango felt herself being lowered back to the ground carefully. _'He's gonna leave me alone,'_ she thought. She hated herself for it, but gratitude welled up in her and she was unable to stop it.

Tears built up in her closed eyes, and she could feel the remains of her self-control rapidly slipping away. She wished she could have run and cried in private.

_'Hate him!' _she commanded herself, clutching the last straw her mind offered. _'He killed Kirara! You can't admit defeat to him! Despise him!'_

She noticed him slice the fabric that secured her gag and then pull the hideous thing out of her mouth. She spat out and took a deep breath of clean, fresh air.

_'He's a youkai!'_ she chanted to herself, slowly getting a grip of herself again. _'He's the enemy! He __murdered Kirara!'_

She finally opened her eyes and stared at Masato defiantly. He didn't look away, returning her glare with a neutral expression. _'You won't see me cry!'_ she thought, not even blinking. _'Not you!'_

After a while, Masato shrugged and turned around. "It's disturbing to see such a young girl so far down the path of destruction," he said as he picked up his new shirt from the ground.

Sango blinked, taken by surprise. After a moment, she hissed, "Don't take me lightly just because I'm a girl."

Masato brushed the shirt off and then pulled it over his head. It was way too big for him, but he didn't seem to mind the baggy look. "Big words for somebody lying helplessly on the ground," he said, looking down to her.

"Do you enjoy picking on the defeated?" Miroku cut in. Sango heard his voice, sounding as confident as usual, and wondered what his expression was. Had he already regained his calm and collected front? _Was _he calm and collected?

"I'm merely stating the facts," Masato answered. Not waiting for a reply, he turned around and walked towards the entrance, taking a glance outside.

"Sango," she heard Miroku say next to her, "are you all right? What..."

Sango nodded mechanically. She didn't dare to look at Miroku, afraid that the anger holding her mind together would evaporate like a drop of water in the fire if she did. _'No, I'm not all right!' _she thought, clenching her teeth. _'What do you expect me to say?'_ Looking at the ground, she said, "We have... other things to worry about right now."

"Sango..." Miroku whispered.

Masato was already returning to them, and she focused her sight and thoughts on him. Unceremoniously, he sat down in front of them, uncomfortably close. "And that's just the younger brother..." he said to himself, wiping over his brow. He looked at his lower arm; the gashes that Inuyasha had left weren't bleeding anymore. With a satisfied expression, he turned his attention back to Miroku and Sango. Not seeming to mind that he was sitting upright and they were lying on their sides, he began, "So... Let me introduce myself. I am Masato, as you probably already noticed. I gather, you are Sango and Miroku?"

He waited for a while, looking from her to Miroku expectantly. When neither of them answered, he continued, "You're not giving in – I like that. In fact, that's exactly what I hoped for. I think that we can help each other to avoid any further casualties."

His sudden friendliness agitated Sango and she said coldly, "Casualties like Kirara?"

To her surprise, Masato angrily narrowed his eyes. "Don't think that I enjoy slaughtering my kin," he said angrily, leaning forward quickly. He bared his fangs and continued, "Not to save a couple of human brats!"

The sudden change in his mood alarmed Sango and she instinctively edged away, but then he sat back again. She slowly exhaled when his face returned to its former, neutral expression.

_'So he's some kind of cat youkai,'_ she thought, taking a second to get a closer look at him. He looked like a human in his late thirties; his pointed ears and his unnaturally bright-green, slitted eyes were the only things giving away his youkai heritage. Nothing else especially caught her eye, there weren't even any stripes on his face. His fingernails were claws, but that was pretty common among youkai.

Not enough for a more precise assessment. She remembered her father telling her that the human-looking youkai were the most dangerous of all. _'Looks like Masato's another proof for that rule...'_ she thought. He must be able to shift into some kind of feline form, because like this he didn't have much in common with a cat.

"I warned you and I warned Kirara," Masato said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "If you had given up as I told you, she would still be alive."

Sango gulped, glaring at Masato.

"You don't have to look at me like that," Masato continued. "It was you who attacked, it was you who didn't pull back, it's you who started to kill. You brought this down on yourself. I just defended myself."

"You didn't have to kill her!" Sango shouted, having enough of listening to Masato's lecture. "If your kin is so precious to you!"

"Well, sorry for trying to save my hide when a mental hanyou and his crazy friends try to take my head off for no reason," Masato replied.

"We didn't attack for no reason!" Miroku interrupted. "Isobe followed us and attacked us. He almost killed Inuyasha. I don't know what exactly is going on between them, but Inuyasha had every right to go after Isobe! If those youkai defend him, it's not his fault."

"It isn't theirs, either," Masato replied. "They've been living under Isobe's rule for too long. Some of them for decades, every day in fear of death. They'll defend him even if it means throwing away their lives."

"You'll forgive me if I can't make myself feel sorry for them," Sango said angrily. "Not after..." She gulped and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"For that you have my sincere apologies," Masato said honestly. He placed his fists on the ground and bowed. "I shouldn't have left a fellow warrior alone with that idiot Ryota. I take full responsibility."

Sango gaped at him in surprise. One second he denied the blame for Kirara's death who he had killed, and then he suddenly took responsibility for something that he hadn't done. Was he trying to confuse her?

Masato still kept his head down formally. What the heck was wrong with him? Even calling her a fellow warrior. She had to admit it did _good _to have him acknowledge her, after seeing her in such a shameful situation.

"You drove them away in the end," she heard Miroku break the silence. "I... thank you for that."

Sango gulped. She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud as well, but she still felt grateful. Hearing Miroku express his thanks took some of the guilty feelings off her shoulders.

"We're even now," Miroku continued. "You don't owe us, we don't owe you."

Masato sat up again and smirked for a second. "A sly one, aren't you?"

"Why, thank you," Miroku replied nonchalantly.

"It's a shame you were born human," Masato said, inclining his head to the side. "You two would have made great youkai."

The comment hit Sango, almost physically hurting her. She had spent her whole life _protecting _humanity from youkai like him. Deeply agitated, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She waited for his answer, her heart beating quickly. She felt like the youkai was putting her whole existence in question. She was tired, she was hurt, she didn't even have a minute to mourn over Kirara or catch herself after almost being raped. Angrily, she shouted, "Answer! I'm not like you!"

"I was only trying to give you a compliment," Masato said, surprise in his voice. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Sango closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She started to feel dizzy, but kept her eyes shut. _'Get a grip!' _she told herself. Her feelings were out of control, swinging further and further between the extremes. She was at her limit, but that wasn't an option. She bit into her tongue, hoping the pain would help reclaim her self-control. The feeling that the world was spinning around her slowly abated. _'A few seconds...'_ she thought. _'Just a few seconds...'_

"Alright, let's leave it at that," she heard Miroku say, feeling glad that he picked up the conversation. She noticed the tension in his voice, and for some reason she was relieved that it was there. She tried to relax as he continued, "So, what are you here for, youkai Masato? Why did you leave us alive?"

She heard Masato take a deep breath, before he said, "Mostly, it's thanks to the heritage of your friend."

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked. He gulped, then asked, "How is he?"

"He's currently unconscious, but he'll survive it. I couldn't hold back against him," Masato told them. "And yes, it's about Inuyasha's kin – his half brother, to be precise."

"Sesshoumaru? You mentioned him before," Miroku said. "Do you have business with him?"

"You could say that," Masato said mysteriously. "In a way, we're all in this predicament because of him."

The following silence made Sango uneasy and she reluctantly opened her eyes. Masato had taken the rosary out from under his shirt; she saw him twirling it between his fingers. Finally, he said, "If it weren't for Lord Sesshoumaru, I wouldn't have this thing around my neck."

"Did he sell you out?" Sango asked, surprised. She knew that Sesshoumaru was ruthless, but working together with someone like Isobe didn't seem like his style.

"No, not like that," Masato replied, shaking his head. He carefully started to put the rosary under his shirt again. It seemed like he was taking his time to contemplate his answer. When he had finally hidden the rosary, he said, "But that's for later. We don't have time for story-telling."

"What is Isobe planning?" Miroku asked. "What are _you _planning?"

Masato took a look over his shoulder and sniffed suspiciously, making sure nobody was listening in on them, before he turned back to them and said quietly, "That depends. I will tell you if you answer me this question: What is your stance towards Lord Sesshoumaru?"

The intense stare the youkai was suddenly giving them alarmed Sango. She eyed Masato warily, trying to guess what he wanted to hear. He called him _Lord_, but was he enemy or ally to Sesshoumaru? His comment before had been ambiguous. Even if Masato had sounded a little contemptuous, he might just be trying to confuse them.

Masato was still staring at them, cold and calculating. Sango felt like their lives depended on this answer. _'What do you want to hear, you bastard?'_ she thought. She tried to think of some clues she had overlooked, but nothing came to her mind.

An unclear answer wouldn't be enough, of that she was sure. She decided to trust her instinct and placed her bet on pointing out their enmity. She took a deep breath and said firmly, "We've only run into him a couple of times. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru always ended up trying to kill each other. Sesshoumaru's a very capable fighter, but so far Inuyasha has managed to survive their encounters."

Masato's face didn't show any emotion when he said, "That doesn't sound convincing. Lord Sesshoumaru's a taiyoukai – it's hard to believe that he couldn't kill a hanyou if he put his mind to it."

Sango stared back and said, "You shouldn't underestimate Inuyasha, he wasn't at his best today."

She felt some satisfaction when she saw Masato blink, even though the rest of his face didn't move, and continued, "A few days ago, Isobe almost killed him and he immediately took pursuit without healing up first. I doubt your youkai would have been able to corner him if he had been in a better condition.... But you're right, it was always a close call against Sesshoumaru. The reason Inuyasha is still alive is probably Tetsusaiga; it's a memento of his father. A very good sword."

Masato nodded slowly. "Yes, that was quite some attack the hanyou launched at first. But then the sword suddenly shrunk to a rusty old blade. If he can use it only once, Lord Sesshoumaru should have no trouble taking him out."

Sango listened up, interested at finding out that Tetsusaiga was still not following Inuyasha correctly. Indeed, the thought of a similar failure in a fight against Sesshoumaru was unnerving. She wanted to point out that Inuyasha _could _usually use the sword for more than a single attack, but caught herself before she said it out loud. It couldn't hurt to leave Masato a bit unclear about Inuyasha's fighting power.

"It's dangerous nonetheless," she told Masato instead. "It's forged out of a tooth of Inuyasha's and Sesshoumaru's father. I've only heard it from Kagome, but apparently Inuyasha took off Sesshoumaru's arm with it. In any case, they hate each others' guts."

"So the rumors are true..." Masato said as if talking to himself. "Lord Sesshoumaru really lost his arm to Inuyasha."

"Yes," Miroku, who had been silent for a while, chimed in, "Inuyasha certainly didn't survive because Sesshoumaru harbors any brotherly feelings for him. They both went all out in their fights."

Sango held her breath. The die had been cast, there was no going back on their words. The youkai was still staring at them with his cat-like eyes, nothing to betraying his thoughts.

"Alright," Masato said suddenly. "That's enough."

"Did we pass the test?" Miroku asked.

After a second, Masato's face relaxed and he nodded.

"That's great," Miroku said sarcastically. "Is there a prize?"

"Your lives, maybe," Masato answered and smirked, "if you cooperate with me."

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Why should we cooperate with you?" she asked suspiciously. "You're probably already planning how to kill us once we've outlived our usefulness."

"That's not true," Masato answered and took a deep breath. A tone of finality crept into his voice as he continued, "_Isobe_ is planning to kill you. Tomorrow morning, to be precise, probably even sooner. Thanks to your hanyou friend losing it, the whole village is scared. Isobe thinks a public execution will calm them down again."

Sango needed at second to realize the meaning of his words. Then she gulped. She knew what it was to be prepared to die, but not like that. Not as a diversion for a lynch mob. "We helped them only a couple of days ago!" she said, her heart sinking.

"Your female friend also reminded," Masato said, "but they still wouldn't help her. Now, after the scene Inuyasha has caused, the villagers are putty in Isobe's hands."

He leaned forward, his facial expression hardening, and continued, "I'm currently the only one willing to help you. I can guarantee you, none of the other youkai would even _think _about it."

Sango thought about what Masato had just revealed. She couldn't be sure that he was telling them the truth, but it sounded plausible. And if he wasn't lying, they were about to be killed in a few hours. In this remote village, it was rather unlikely that they'd be saved by a fluke.

"Alright," Sango said mechanically. "What do you want in return?"

Again, Masato turned around and checked that nobody was listening in on them, before he said quietly, "You don't want to die here." He folded his arms in front of his chest and stated, "I don't want to die here, either."

_'He wants to be freed,'_ Sango guessed. At the prospect of helping the youkai, she noticed her confused feelings resurfacing. She felt like she was sullying Kirara's memory just by considering it. But he had also saved her from Ryota, the remnants of her gratitude still lingering.

She shook her head. _'Think of Inuyasha and Kagome, and Shippou,' _she told herself. _'Think of Miroku. You can sort it out later.' _

She finally voiced her guess, "You want us to free you."

She saw Masato nod at her statement. He indicated at the rosary under his shirt and said, "Once this thing is off, I'm confident that I can take on Isobe and the few youkai he has left. With you two on my side, even more so. We can all get out of here alive and free."

Sango narrowed her eyes. It sounded so simple, almost too good to be true. The only problem was, she didn't trust him him an inch. If they took off his rosary, would he keep his end of the deal? Nothing would stop him from fleeing without helping them.

Before she could say anything, she heard Miroku reply, "We're in a dilemma, though. I doubt we'll be able to take it off with our hands tied behind our backs."

Although his comment made her feel a bit jealous, as he always seemed to be a step ahead, Sango mentally applauded Miroku. Masato would have to unbind at least one of them, if he was serious. If he decided to just leg it, they could still free themselves.

Masato grinned and asked, "Don't you think you can wriggle around and take it off?"

Serenely, Miroku answered, "Sorry, my hand-eye-coordination is extremely bad like this."

"I fear we're both too clumsy for it," Sango chimed in nonchalantly.

"Ha!" Masato laughed loudly, but immediately lowered his voice and continued, still grinning, "I like you two. All right, I'll cut the monk free and you take off my rosary. Deal?"

Sango and Miroku looked at each other. At the same time, they both grinned. For the first time since an eternity, she felt _close _to him. Sango thought that she could have looked at him forever, all the hardship forgotten.

Then, Miroku's smile faltered. At first, it seemed like he was staring through her, but then his eyes focused again and he looked at her questioningly.

Sango felt a stab, but at least he hadn't averted his gaze. She gulped, pushing her feelings aside, and nodded at Miroku.

"Deal," they said in unison.

Masato nodded and turned around, reassuring himself once more that they were undisturbed. Although he had been acting cool and collected until, Sango could now notice tension on his face. He was, she realized, really putting his life on the line.

After clenching his jaw, Masato turned the monk on his stomach and cut through the ropes with his claws.

With his hands free, Miroku sat up and took a second to move his arms about. Then he turned to Masato, who had knelt down in front of him, and asked the youkai, "Ready?"

Masato nodded. Miroku grabbed for the rosary.

* * *

**Author rantings:**

Hm, the reviews perfectly reflected what I wondered about last time – they were exactly split on whether it's already the next decade. Maybe it's just a question of definition, without a right and wrong answer?

About the story – unless everything turns out _much _longer than I anticipated, I think the next chapter should finally conclude the current situation. It promises to be a long chapter, but it should be _one _chapter. I hope. :)

I'm looking forward to finally spending more time on Inuyasha. I didn't have many opportunities to write from his perspective ever since I returned to this story. It was probably not the best strategy to have the main protagonist – who's probably also my favorite character – out of the picture for so long.

Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter ready soon, but it could take a bit longer this time. I'm pretty busy at work at the moment (which is, given the current economic situation, probably a good thing), and it also depends on how the next upcoming projects turn out. On the positive side, I've already written like three thousand words, so I have a nice head start.


	38. Chapter 37: Woe to the Defeated

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**Author rantings:**  
Hello! It took a bit longer this time. But, not for naught. Prepare yourself – for the very first "Settle the Score" double feature! *drum roll* Never before has so much been posted at once! Well, not in this story, anyway. :)

_Twilight-Mystery _-Welcome back, always nice to see someone from back then returning. Congratulations on graduating! Being way busy can kinda suck the creative spirits out of you.

_Danton -_ You were but one day too early. I think this counts as a live sign. ;)

_Jellybean06 _– With these two chapters, I can finally let some of the steam out of the kettle. Maybe I overdid it a bit on the tension. ^^

**May 13****th****, 2010: **Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Hollenthon_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell_ and _dangersque _for beta-reading. You got slapped with two big chapters at once this time, but got it done without complaint. :) Thanks a lot.

* * *

**Chapter 37**

_Silence robs the mob its doctrine_

_**Woe to the Defeated**_

Kagome came to herself and found herself lying on a wooden floor. Despite having a slight headache, she had a distinct feeling of healing, like the day after a fever broke.

_'What happened?' _she thought groggily. She remembered Isobe giving Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha after she had used the rosary.

Kagome told herself that she had done the right thing. Inuyasha would have lost either way, and she'd saved him from even more horrendous wounds. She remembered Isobe pulling the wooden plank out of Inuyasha's immobile body. It had been pushed back through his chest when he had fallen to the ground, smeared with his blood over the whole length.

Then her memory suddenly ended, and she realized that she had no idea how badly he had been hurt.

She turned to the side and suddenly found herself face-to-face with Inuyasha.

Startled, she jerked and noticed that her hands were still bound together. Her left arm hurt from being moved. After quickly looking at it, she saw that she had torn open a small wound. But on a whole, it was better than she might have expected.

Turning her attention back to Inuyasha, she found that he was breathing raggedly. "Inuyasha?" she asked carefully, but he was unconscious. At least, his chest was heaving regularly. Sticking to him was his red jacket, still damp with his blood, giving a hint at how badly he had been hurt.

"Are you awake?" she heard a disbelieving voice ask.

She turned around and found Isobe looking at her with a surprised expression. Kagome gulped, realizing that there was nobody else in the room. At least he kept some distance, sitting on the other side of the room, about fifteen feet away from her.

She took a moment to take in her surroundings. She seemed to be inside a small wooden hut that only had this single room. In the middle of the room was a small fireplace, spreading light and warmth. The only entrance to the hut was half-way between her and Isobe. It was dark outside.

Across the room, Isobe was sitting on an unfolded bedroll. A sheathed sword was leaned against the wall next to him, close enough to reach without having to get up. At the foot end of the bed roll lay a small pile of carefully folded clothing.

He had a small scroll in his hands. Looking up like he'd just been interrupted reading it, he said, "You're a mysterious girl.... To survive the Ebon Creep, and be up only an hour later, no less."

When she met his gaze, Kagome finally understood what repelled her about him: the total lack of compassion in his black eyes. He regarded her with uncaring curiosity, like a scientist inspecting a guinea pig that had unexpectedly survived a deadly dose of poison.

"Ebon Creep: is that what you call those black worms?" Kagome asked.

Isobe smiled. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It's one of my newer inventions; you probably haven't heard of it."

"A fabulous name for an atrocious thing," Kagome replied.

"Incomprehension and animosity, such is the burden of the creator," Isobe sighed theatrically. "I'll take it as a compliment."

Kagome tried to change the subject, asking, "What happened?"

"Ah, I'm sure you'd like to know that," Isobe said with a sneer. "But the details are secret, I'm afraid."

"I don't mean your stupid worms!" Kagome shouted. "Inuyasha... I can't remember."

"Oh," Isobe replied with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, the sword forced back his youkai blood, but his hanyou body simply gave out afterwards. Like you, my dear, he fell unconscious."

Kagome had to resist edging away from him.

"The aftereffects of my Ebon Creep, I assume," Isobe continued. "I hadn't thought that you'd open your eyes again, though I'm very happy that you did."

"_Happy_?" Kagome asked scornfully. "I can't imagine it."

"But it's true!" Isobe said and bowed mockingly. "There's something important you can do for me."

Kagome stared at him disbelievingly, the bad feeling in her stomach increasing. "I won't help you again," she told him. "Now that Inuyasha is safe, I don't care what you do to me."

Isobe furrowed his brow. "I would enjoy putting your assumption to test," he said, his cold eyes piercing into hers. "I'm a very creative man, you know."

Kagome gulped. After a second, she looked away, unable to bear his gaze. Alongside her fear, a deep sense of loathing rose in her. He made her _sick_, almost like... Yes, almost like Naraku.

She turned back to Inuyasha, trying to hide that she'd had to avert her eyes, and asked, "How is Inuyasha?"

She heard a stifled laugh, but then Isobe said, "Physically, he'll survive it. He's been through worse."

Anger rose up in Kagome at the way he answered. "Don't say it so carelessly!" she said heatedly. "He's seriously hurt!"

"On the contrary," Isobe replied. "It's more exhaustion than anything else. He wouldn't pass out just from this little scuffle."

Kagome jerked around. "Don't talk like you know him! Your men beat him up while you sat back comfortably, you've no right to talk like that!"

Isobe returned her glare. "But I do know him. Probably a lot better than you little airhead!"

"Liar!" Kagome spat back. "I've never seen you before! I've been with Inuyasha all the time, and before that he was sealed for... fifty...."

Kagome trailed off, the meaning of her words sinking in. "Years..." she finished absentmindedly as the puzzle pieces clicked together. When she had fought his Ebon Creep, she'd had the impression of a very old being.

But how could that be? Wasn't he human? He would have to be at least seventy years old.

She eyed Isobe again, ignoring his gloating expression. He looked about thirty, normal size, with black hair and a misleadingly trustworthy face: an average Japanese man. His eyes – tremendously old, black holes without bottom – were the only thing that ruined the picture if you took a closer look.

_'He's telling the truth,'_ she realized. _'He does know Inuyasha, from a long time ago.'_

Isobe was saying something, that it had taken her long enough, but she barely registered the words. If Isobe was really that old, and he really knew Inuyasha... then he had to be part of the time that Inuyasha could no longer remember, hadn't he?

One part of her was tempted to ask questions with a remorseless curiosity. In front of her was the only person that could tell her about Inuyasha's past, things that even Inuyasha himself could no longer recall.

"I bet... Inuyasha... he never told you about me, did he?" Isobe asked as if reading her thoughts. "About the good old times?"

The sarcasm in his voice triggered a seemingly unrelated memory. _'The last memory of my childhood,' _Inuyasha had told her after obstinately making her swear to keep it a secret,_ 'it basically ends with me being sold to some guy.'_ Only two weeks ago, yet it seemed like an eternity. _'I don't know who he was,'_ Inuyasha had said, his eyes losing focus for a second,_ 'I just get angry whenever I think of him.'_

Somehow, in that moment, she knew that the person Inuyasha had told her about – he was sitting right across from her.

She held her hand over her mouth in shock.

_'Oh my god,' _she thought, a feeling of nausea washing over her. She had betrayed Inuyasha... to _him_.

* * *

The rosary started to glow slightly when it was about level with Masato's neck. Then, as if hitting a barrier, it stopped suddenly.

Unwilling to give up just yet, Miroku pulled with more force.

"Ah!" he cursed under his breath when a flash of pain shot through his palms. Reflexively, he let go of the rosary and shook his hands to cool them off.

He looked at his hands, finding little red marks where the beads had burned his flesh. _'What now?'_ he thought, his mind racing. He had hoped that, not being a youkai, he could just take it off. If he couldn't fulfill their side of the deal – would Masato let them go nonetheless? If not, could he overpower him by force, now that he had at least his hands free? Not in a direct confrontation, but if he unsealed his _Kazaana _quickly enough, it might work.

"Damn!" Masato cursed, punching the ground with his fist. "Is there no way to get rid of the blasted thing?"

"Tried it yourself?" Miroku asked, trying to buy time.

"Of course," Masato answered. "Sears down to the bone if you're stubborn enough."

"Why, thanks for warning me..." Miroku muttered. At least he had let go quickly enough – the burn marks stung, but they were the least of his worries.

"I hoped a human could take it off," Masato said and shrugged. "So, what do we do now?" he asked, agitation in his voice, looking from Miroku to Sango. "You got an idea?"

"As far as I know, control over the rosary is a power which only shrine maidens, only the most powerful _miko_ possess," Miroku said. "In fact, I don't understand how Isobe, a man, can be the one controlling all of you. In any case, it probably also takes a _miko_ to remove it."

Masato nodded, his eyes jumping left and right. After a few seconds, he said thoughtfully, "Your friend, what's her name.... You think she can take it off?"

"Kagome. Her name's Kagome," Sango answered. "She's very talented. If anyone can help you, it's her."

Miroku watched the youkai intently. Masato took the failure better than he had anticipated, already working on the next attempt. _'If I want to attack him, I have to do it now while he's distracted,'_ he thought.

But could he unseal his _Kazaana _quickly enough? Masato was already suspicious – when the other youkai had bound him, Masato had specifically ordered them to watch out for the beads around his right arm.

If he failed, they'd lose their only potential ally.

And even if he were successful, then – what? They still had Kagome and Inuyasha, and Shippou. _'But at least Sango would be free,'_ he thought. Guilt washed over him as he remembered what had happened to Sango, and his inability to help her. This was his chance to make sure nothing of the sorts would happen again.

He was about to reach for his arm, when Masato suddenly looked at him directly. Miroku froze – the youkai had found him out. Had his breathing quickened? Could the youkai hear his racing heart?

"All right, I'll try to bring her here as well," Masato said. "It must have been her who protected Inuyasha from Isobe, so she can probably do it again."

"Protected him?" Sango asked. "What do you mean?"

Miroku had to suppress a sigh of relief, feeling like every single muscle in his body had tensed. He was glad that Sango had seized the conversation again; he didn't think that he could have answered in a straight voice. He thought about using his _Kazaana_; but the moment, his chance, had passed. Inconspicuously exhaling, he averted his eyes, afraid that they would betray his thoughts.

Masato already continued, seemingly oblivious to Miroku's struggle, "When Inuyasha showed himself, way before you arrived, Isobe almost immediately summoned a rosary around Inuyasha's neck," the youkai explained. "Or at least, he tried to. After staying around his neck for a short while, glowing madly, it shattered into pieces. That must have been Kagome's work. That must be the reason why Isobe didn't want to let me have her."

"I have a very bad bad feeling about this," Sango said urgently. "She's with him now, isn't she? You have to get her out of there immediately."

"Yes, but how," Masato growled. "She's the only reason why he couldn't chain Inuyasha!"

"He wants to kill us, anyway," Sango argued. "There's no harm in letting you interrogate her, is there? She must know something important about.... What are you supposedly grilling us about, anyway?"

"That would take too long to explain," Masato said. "If the topic should come up, I only wanted to know about Sesshoumaru and the youkai in the area, all right?"

"All right..." Sango said, not sounding entirely convinced. "Well, we didn't know anything important. But Kagome's obviously a _miko_, surely she knows about the local youkai. You must question her."

Miroku took another look at Sango out of the corner of his eyes. Again, he almost couldn't stand looking at her, the guilt unbearable. Nonetheless, he was amazed at how collected she looked. The feeling of helplessness, was she over it already? Calmly plotting with Masato, as if nothing in the world had happened, trying to save their friends.

In comparison, he felt like dead weight.

He shook his head, willing his thoughts away. _'I have to get her out of here,' _he told himself, clenching his jaw.

Miroku became aware that Masato looked at him expectantly. After a second of silence, the youkai asked, "What are you waiting for?"

Miroku, not having followed the last bits of the conversation, was at a loss for what the youkai expected of him. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch you."

Masato grimaced and said accusingly, "Obviously.... I said, turn around so I can bind your hands again."

The request took Miroku by completely by surprise. What the heck was going on? Unwilling to give up his newfound freedom, he hesitated and turned to Sango. She nodded at him, and he could see the accusation in Masato's voice mirrored in her face. _'I try to bail us out,' _he could almost hear her say, _'and you don't even think it necessary to pay attention?'_

More to escape his guilt, Miroku turned onto his stomach without protest. All he could do was trust that Sango knew what she was doing. He moved his arms behind his back and waited while Masato tied his hands again.

"Finished," Masato said and stood up. "I'll try to be quick. If I can't bail out Kagome, we'll have to try something in the cover of the night."

"All right," Sango said, and, after a moment, "Good luck."

Masato nodded and then left the tent. At the exit, he stopped and looked at Sango for a while. Finally, he said, "I think you're the only human girl I can think of who'd keep it together after what just happened to you. I don't know whether that's a good thing... Your friend isn't taking it half as well as you."

With that, he turned and left.

Feeling as if he'd been hit, Miroku stared at the empty entrance of the tent.

* * *

Masato looked around, his eyes quickly adjusting. The bonfire gave off enough light for even humans to see their way in the night – it was ample enough for him.

His sight came to a stop at the stage, where they gave their performances to the curious humans. The floor was about five feet above ground. Ultimately, it was just a cheap wooden construction, but all the decoration seemed to convince the humans otherwise.

At the moment, two youkai worked on giving it a new purpose, putting up a strong cross beam. Masato couldn't help but wonder why the humans would want a stage even to kill somebody. How could they prefer this to the thrill of the hunt? The more time he spent with them, the less he understood them.

He tore his sight away, reminding himself that he was short on time, and looked for a youkai without an assignment. To his dismay, the only youkai in the vicinity was Nobu. Masato thought about getting somebody else, but decided against it.

"Nobu!" he shouted. The youkai looked in his direction with an unsettled expression. After hesitating for a second, he came over.

"Yes?" he asked meekly.

"Look after the two for a while. I have to talk with Isobe," he said. "Don't let anybody inside the tent. Especially Ryouta."

Nobu nodded.

Masato narrowed his eyes and said, "If you screw up again, you'll have the brief experience of getting to know me angry. Understood?"

Nobu gulped. "Yes," he answered and quickly went towards the tent.

_'Spineless idiot,'_ Masato thought. _'All of them, actually. I really ought to get away as soon as possible.'_

_'Before you become like them,'_ a nasty voice added in his head. If he had to spend the rest of his life like this....

He clenched his jaw and continued towards Isobe's hut. Unlike the youkai, who had to sleep in the tent, the human had occupied a hut for himself, about a minute's walk away.

With every step, Masato could feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety creep into his blood. He wasn't sure if he had decided too rashly. Still, who knew when another opportunity like this would present itself. _'Time's working against me,'_ he told himself. _'I have to act without __hesitation.'_

In less than an hour, his situation had changed completely. With all his subordinates felled by the human brats, he had been rendered rather useless in the big picture. Even before that, Isobe had constantly increased his influence, not missing a single opportunity to show who had the upper hand. He would be insufferable from now on.

Masato still couldn't believe that the sudden appearance of Inuyasha was just a coincidence. The way Isobe had reacted was too suspicious. What was the cunning bastard plotting? He couldn't understand the man, and it unnerved him. In the worst case, Isobe was already anticipating his betrayal.

_'You're seeing ghosts!'_ Masato told himself, but couldn't shake the feeling of playing right into Isobe's hands.

He had arrived at the hut. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

"Isobe?" he asked loudly, introducing himself. He wasn't sure what the human had in mind for Kagome, and he didn't want to stumble in on another compromising situation, especially one that he couldn't put an end to. The stench of fear and cold sweat was repugnant, and it protruded out of the hut as well, even if not as thickly.

"Come in," he heard Isobe answer. Not hearing strange noises or smelling any bodily fluids, Masato considered it safe to enter. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

He first turned to the right and found the girl lying on the floor. She looked up at him warily and edged closer to Inuyasha, as if preparing to defend him.

Masato had to repress a smile – which would likely have scared her more than anything else. She wasn't completely recovered yet, but at least she no longer looked like she was about to breathe her last.

_'I wouldn't have thought to see the day when I'd be glad to see a miko alive and kicking,' _he praised his luck. _'My little rosary-remover is already conscious again.'_

Inuyasha, on the other hand, hadn't regained consciousness yet. Still, he also looked better than before. His wounds had been pretty serious, but there he lay, breathing deeply and steadily. It was unsettling to see the monster recovering so quickly. It probably wouldn't take him more than a day or two to heal completely.

He looked back to the girl with a new-found respect. _'She has to be really sure of her abilities,' _he thought, _'if she thinks she can keep this beast on a leash.' _

Anger had settled into her stare, directed at him, at the one who had hurt her slave so badly. She had to be very different from Isobe, if those wounds affected her that much. Was Inuyasha more than a servant to her? Was she more than his master to him? He couldn't be sure, but his instinct told him that he was dealing with a dangerous mixture. _'I must not underestimate her,' _he mentally noted. _'If she gets the chance, she'll use her powers against me.'_

And still, he had to get her out of here, and convince her to remove his rosary instead of trying to purify him to cinders.

He turned to Isobe and said, "I'm finished with the two humans, but they didn't really know anything relevant. However, they say this girl is a miko who has been around, and is knowledgeable about the local youkai. I want to question her."

Isobe made a sour face and answered, "With all due respect for your paranoia - you're grasping for straws. Not every unusual situation is related to you."

Masato folded his arms in front of his chest. "Even if is she isn't, she's likely to know something. What's the harm?"

Isobe rolled with his eyes and said, "Fine, if it puts your mind at ease... But in your own interest, you should watch out that she doesn't try taking off any of the rosaries in a desperate attempt to find allies."

Masato tried hard not to blink, his heart beating quickly. "Could she take them off?" he asked, feigning indifference.

Isobe shook his head and said, "I doubt she knows how to start the process. And even if she does...." He laughed and pointed at the unconscious Inuyasha. "She couldn't even properly defend her own dominion. This time, it would be a battle on _my_ homeground."

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not present!" Kagome cut in from behind them. "I protected Inuyasha well enough!"

"And look what it did to you," Isobe answered, turning to Kagome. "You wouldn't survive another round. Remember that."

Masato had to compliment her for staring back with so much resolution. Maybe he could still convince her to take off his rosary. Or was he grasping for straws? What if it didn't work?

It felt like a snake coiling around his chest. Was there no way to get rid of the accursed necklace?

_'I don't want to spend the rest of my life here!'_

The thought had only arisen recently, but it came with increasing frequency. And this evening, the convenient excuse that it would soon be over had been taken from him. Had he been lying to himself?

Masato felt his mask of disinterest cracking. He quickly turned and looked around the room, hiding his face from Isobe. "What happened to the little fox demon, by the way?" he asked the first question coming to his mind.

"One of the youkai's looking after him," Isobe answered. "Ryouta, I think. Why?"

Masato shrugged. "Just asking...."

That's when he heard it: approaching steps of a large group of people.

The villagers were returning.

* * *

Sango shifted her sitting position.

They hadn't talked since Nobu had entered the tent. No doubt he was to watch that they didn't try to escape, but he was doing a poor job at it. He just stood near the entrance, his arms folded, and put a lot of effort into looking everywhere but their direction.

It seemed like he was as uncomfortable with the situation as herself. Every now and then, he turned with a jerk, as if he'd heard something.

She had taken advantage of the circumstances and was secretly trying to loosen her restraints, but so far they felt as tight as ever. She continued nonetheless; at the very least, it gave her something to do and kept her exhaustion at bay.

Nobu jerked around again and she inconspicuously paused her escape attempt. For the first time, he came to a stop looking in her direction.

She stared back.

Still not making eye contact, he opened his mouth, closed it again, then said, "Sorry."

Sango continued to stare at him. He turned away again.

For a while, it was silent.

"Look," he said, gazing outside the tent, "it was Ryouta's idea. He persuaded me to go along. It was stupid, but that's what happened. I was angry, you know. I still am. But, I'm sorry for what happened."

He turned in her direction again, at last meeting her eyes.

Sango found herself unable to answer. Finally, she just shrugged. Nobu turned around and looked outside again.

"I've been here for sixteen years," he said after a minute. "That makes me the third oldest. Ryouta, not even a year. Sixteen years..." It seemed more like he was talking to himself.

He stopped and straightened himself. "Yes?" he asked loudly to the outside.

Somebody shouted a command, but Sango couldn't understand it. Nobu nodded and shouted, "I can't, not both of them. No, not him. No!"

Sango listened up. What was going on? Had Masato been too obvious?

Two persons entered the tent. It was Ryouta and another youkai. Sango tensed at seeing her assailant. He smiled at her and said, "Hello, princess."

Sango narrowed her eyes. A wave of fear washed over her, but she refused herself to be drowned. "Hello, asshole," she spat back.

Ryouta laughed and turned to Nobu. "I'll take the girl," he said. "We're to bring them to the stage."

Nobu shook his head. "Masato told me to not let you near them. If I were you, I wouldn't try his patience any further."

Not waiting for a reply, Nobu turned to Sango and picked her up.

Ryouta's grin had faltered and he seemed to be weighing whether to follow Nobu's command or risk angering Masato.

"Get out of here," Miroku hissed, his quiet voice dripping with animosity.

Ryouta turned to Miroku. "Or you'll do what?" he challenged. But he waited for the youkai who had entered with him to pick up the monk.

"Cut the crap," Nobu said to Ryouta and went towards the exit.

Being carried, Sango tried to calm her mind and assess the situation. She raised her head and saw that they were headed for a wooden stage. Across the platform, she could see a large group of humans approaching, carrying torches and a multitude of weapons and tools.

On the stage, she could see two youkai waiting: one providing light with a torch, the other with a rope in his hand, tying a knot into it.

She gulped – this could only mean that the execution had been moved up.

"Not so cheeky now, are you?" she heard Ryouta jeer behind her.

With every step they got closer, she felt terror slowly taking over. Ever since Naraku had killed her family, she had envisioned a warrior's death. Quick, likely painful, but with meaning. Maybe to save someone, or take an enemy with her. A hunter's death, when it really was her time.

And still, it had been just a possibility. But this detestable death, a diversion for a bunch of peasants - it wasn't honorable or brave, just meaningless.

_'I'm still alive,'_ she told herself. But, for how long?

"Quit wriggling around," she heard Nobu tell her as they had almost reached the platform. To emphasize his words, he shook her. "This is the fate you've brought upon yourself."

He climbed up over a couple of stairs at the back of the stage. After arriving atop, Sango found herself hoisted up and roughly placed on the floor of the stage. She looked out for Miroku, but couldn't find him.

Her panic increased and she tried to creep forward to take a look around, but Nobu held her back. "Stop this folly, girl," he cursed.

Then she saw Ryouta and the other youkai climb up the stage, Miroku swung over the latter's shoulder. After a few more steps, he just toppled the monk over. With a thud, Miroku crashed next to her.

"Miroku!" she cried, relieved that he was with her. She wanted to embrace him, make sure that they couldn't get separated again.

"Sango," he replied seriously. "If there's even the smallest opportunity, I want you to flee. Don't worry about me."

She looked at him incredulously, completely taken by surprise by his statement. "I wouldn't!"

Miroku looked at her angrily, but before he could reply, Isobe interrupted, "How adorable - I'll be more than happy to send you on together."

Sango turned around and found the man ascending the stage, dragging Kagome with him. Her hands were still bound together in front of her, but they let her walk on her own.

Isobe gave the miko a push; she stumbled and went down next to Miroku. A low cry escaped her when she fell to the side on her hurt arm. Isobe laughed and then went to the front of the stage.

Kagome sat herself upright. "Miroku, Sango," she said, looking at them in a hurry. "Are you all right?"

"Kagome...." Sango found herself unable to answer her friend's question. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Kagome said. "Sango, you're looking pale."

"Don't... worry about me," Sango said and swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked away, afraid that her eyes would somehow betray what had happened to Kagome.

"Kagome," she heard Miroku whisper. "A youkai named Masato wanted to question you. What happened?"

"Yes," Kagome answered, "Isobe was going to allow it, but then he suddenly changed his mind. He told the youkai to keep watch over Inuyasha instead."

Sango gulped at hearing Kagome's innocent statement. She looked around, hoping to find Masato. _'He has to help us!'_ she thought. _'Kagome's his best chance at freedom.' _But he wasn't here. Could they still count on him, or was she misplacing her hopes? Would he dare to openly defy Isobe?

With a sinking feeling, she realized that he wouldn't. He had put a lot of effort into keeping his aspirations a secret.

_'No!' _she thought, feeling sorry for herself. _'We were so close to breaking free.' _Instead, they were now waiting for their execution. _'It's just not fair,' _she thought, tears forming in her eyes. She angrily forced them back.

Meanwhile, the humans had almost reached the stage. Most of them were men, but quite a number of women had joined them as well. Some carried spears, and even a few swords could be seen, but mostly the villagers were armed with mining and farming tools.

Isobe extended his arms and greeted them. "My dear friends!" he said. His voice didn't seem very loud, but it easily carried over the uproar below him. "The danger is averted – all the villains have been caught."

Sango felt like his words were creeping directly into her head. The villagers below slowly stopped.

"They thought that they could rob and murder. They tried to burn this village to the ground once more!" Isobe shouted. "But we shall return their evil two-fold! Now _they _shall feel the anger of the people!"

A collective cheer ran through the humans. Sango almost couldn't believe it - in barely ten seconds, Isobe had turned a lynch mob into a captivated audience.

Sango shouted out, trying to get their attention as well, but her voice was so quiet, she could barely hear herself. She screamed with all her might, but only a silent groan escaped her. What the hell was going on?

Isobe continued to talk, about how they had committed the worst sin imaginable, betrayed their kind and sided with the youkai, the worst enemies of humanity. The villagers cheered when he paused for a moment. Sango could see a few confused faces, probably the ones that had caught on to the fact that something was strange. But even they began raising their fists and applauding after a while.

Kagome stood up, stumbled forward and cried at the people. But likewise, her voice was just like a breeze, unable to compete with Isobe's storm.

"And here is the wicked witch, the mastermind behind it all!" he shouted, pointing at Kagome. "Look! Even now, she tries to bedazzle you. With her charms and shameless clothing, she has lured countless men into the woods. Dark orgies with human sacrifices, only to feed her thirst for power! But now, her evil deeds are finally put to an end!"

Sango couldn't believe that the humans below wouldn't notice the lies. If it hadn't been so serious, it would have been laughable. She looked over to Kagome. The miko seemed to be stuttering, her face turned red – whether from shame or anger, Sango couldn't tell.

"Kill the witch!" the humans began to chant. "Kill the witch!"

One of the youkai stepped next to Kagome and threw the rope over the wooden beam above them, keeping one end in his hands. The other end was tied to a noose, dangling ominously in the air.

The crowd below fell silent in anticipation. On the other hand, Kagome was suddenly audible. "Wake up!" she shouted. "He's manipulating -"

It happened very quickly – the youkai threw the noose around Kagome's neck and pulled her up. Her voice was cut off abruptly, and for a second, it was entirely quiet. Like an abnormal pendulum, Kagome dangled in the air. With her hands, she helplessly clawed at the rope around her neck, kicking with her feet.

Then a collective roar ran through the humans, all their fear and anger released in a single cry.


	39. Chapter 38: Return from Chaos

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**May 15****th****, 2010: **Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Bolt Thrower_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_JMaxwell_ and _dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 38**

_Not fallen prey  
Nothing will overcome  
With the banner held high  
Let the chaos overrun_

_**Return from Chaos**_

"No!" Sango cried. It couldn't be true.

"No need to be jealous," she heard Ryouta laugh. "It will be your turn soon enough!"

Kagome pulled herself up, trying to get air, but she slipped and fell into the rope again.

Sango desperately tried to free herself, but the ropes felt as tight as always. Her fingers felt around for the knot, but she couldn't reach it.

She looked at Miroku next to her. He was struggling as well, but it didn't seem like he had any more success.

Suddenly, Sango felt the pressure on her wrists vanish. Her hands were free; and she was holding something. She moved her hand in front of her face and saw that it was a dagger.

What the hell was going on? She looked at the dagger confusedly, as if it were the first time she was holding a blade. Then everything happened in a rush.

Time seemed to slow as her body mobilized its last reserves. _'No time for astonishment on the battlefield,'_ she told herself and sat up. She started to cut through the ropes binding her feet, noticing that the dagger was crazily sharp. So far, nobody had noticed her, Kagome's dangling body being the center of attention.

Cutting through the last strands of the ropes, she weighed if she should first try to free Miroku or immediately rush to help Kagome. If she helped the monk, it might be too late for Kagome; on the other hand, if she helped Kagome, she would immediately use up the element of surprise.

Then she was through, and still torn between her two options.

_'Kagome,'_ she decided on a whim and jumped up. Ryouta noticed her, but his surprised outcry was lost in the uproar of the villagers. Swallowing her hatred, Sango ignored him and rushed forward towards the youkai holding Kagome up in the air. Standing with his back to her, he didn't notice her at all until she jerked his head back and rammed the dagger into the back of his neck with all her might.

With a last gurgling sound, he let go of the rope. Sango hastily pulled out the dagger as the youkai collapsed to the ground. Simultaneously, Kagome fell and hit the floor with a thud. The rope still attached to her neck slithered over the cross beam like a snake.

A cry of outrage could be heard from the villagers, and Sango knew that their focus had shifted from Kagome to herself. She felt a hundred eyes staring at her, but Ryouta was still behind her. She discontentedly clenched her jaw as an irritating tingling ran down her spine at exposing her back to a whole mob of enemies.

Ryouta, running at her, was still a few steps away; but if he hit her, the bulky youkai would simply knock her down. Sango crouched slightly and dropped into a defensive stance. A mixture of fear and hatred ran through her, the memories of Ryouta's assault clawing their way into the open at seeing him closing in on her.

The short distraction almost was her undoing. She missed the right moment to sidestep him and suddenly found herself as the target of a simple, but effective strike of his claws.

Only years of experience saved her. With reflexes that had been the envy of her village, she ducked under his arm. As they rushed past each other, Sango struck at his armpit, aiming for the artery. But his literally thick hide protected him, the dagger barely leaving a scratch. Ryouta tried to stop, but Sango was faster: she placed a kick in the back of his knee and a quick second one on his head. Ryouta stumbled and his momentum carried him forward.

At the front of the stage, the first villagers had begun to scale the stage. Ryouta tumbled right into them and took three with him as he fell off the edge. Finally having a target to vent their anger on, the advancing villagers momentarily stopped trying to climb the stage and closed in on Ryouta.

Although she knew that she couldn't charge straight into a lynch mob, Sango had to stop herself from rushing after him to finish him off.

A loud thud from behind startled her and she turned around in a crouch. She saw Masato lying on his stomach next to Miroku. The youkai's rosary was glowing, making clear what had pulled him down. He tried to push himself up, his arm muscles trembling. He hissed angrily, but couldn't break free.

Knowing that she couldn't help him, Sango wanted to rush to Miroku, but saw that he was already standing up. Next to him, his bonds were lying, cut.

Sango finally realized who had freed her, and now had done the same for Miroku. _'Masato really kept his end of the bargain!' _Sango thought, looking back to the youkai in surprise. "Thank you," she mumbled, but immediately berated herself. There was no time for sentimental gratitude, and she turned her attention back to Miroku. "Do you have a weapon?" she asked hurriedly, talking loudly to be heard over the riot.

Miroku shook his head. "No, and I don't really know how to use a dagger. I'll manage."

Sango nodded and turned around again, appreciating that she at least had finally somebody watching her back. Isobe had retreated into a corner, his three remaining youkai standing protectively around him. On the other hand, the villagers had begun to climb up the stage again. Halfway between them and herself lay Kagome, coughing madly, unaware that they would reach her in seconds.

"Miroku, you have to drag Kagome away from there. If they get her, she's finished. I'll try to think of something," she shouted and ran to the front of the stage. One of the villagers came at her empty-handed; she simply kicked him off.

"Stop!" she shouted down the stage, demonstratively holding the dagger in front of her. She silently cursed at the weapon – it was good for killing, but not very helpful for what she intended to do. "We'll leave peacefully if you let us!" she continued, keeping an eye on Isobe, suspicious that he would interfere any moment.

When another villager attacked her from the right with a bamboo spear, she felt her patience running thin. She side-stepped the sloppy charge and smashed her elbow against the man's nose, hearing it crack with satisfaction. The impact knocked the man over and Sango managed to twist the spear out of his hands. She would have preferred to keep it, but Miroku needed it more.

Retreating a step, she turned around and saw that Miroku had dragged Kagome with him towards the stairs. At the moment, he was trying to keep the villagers from swarming up. He was fighting with two men at once, managing to keep them both on the stairs and in the way of the others. "Miroku!" she shouted and threw the spear towards him. He caught it with one hand, barely looking in her direction, his attention kept by his two opponents.

When Sango turned around again, she saw that four villagers had climbed up. "Stop!" she roared, "we're not here to hurt you!" But neither she nor the man already lying in front of her seemed to impress them, and they steadily advanced on her. Three were armed with what looked like pick-axes, the fourth carried a sword. The last seemed like he had at least a rough idea of how to use a weapon. Going with a dagger against the much longer katana put her at a serious disadvantage, and she was vastly outnumbered to begin with.

She wasn't sure if she could hold them at bay even if she started to get serious. "I said stop!" she shouted again. "I don't want to fight with you!"

They seemed to mistake her hesitation for weakness, as they completely ignored her and kept marching on. When she saw the intent to kill in their eyes, something in her snapped. _'Fine,'_ she thought, feeling as if her blood cooled down suddenly, _'let's play it your way.' _Taking the dagger in a back-handed grip, she rushed forward.

The four stopped with confused expressions. They hadn't expected a direct assault and now fell into disarray. The one with the sword caught himself first, but he was too late – Sango was in range.

It was over in flash. Sango managed to get a grip on his swordhand with her left, at the same time cutting his throat with the dagger. One of the others attacked, and Sango mercilessly countered. A pickaxe, along with a couple of fingers, went flying through the air. The swordsman collapsed, gripping his throat, while the other three retreated, one holding his wounded hand, the others looking at her with disbelieving expressions. Sango stared at them coldly, brandishing her new sword. Maybe this finally brought them to their senses; at the very least, the crowd around her fell silent.

"So," a voice asked into the silence, "what do you plan to do now?"

Sango turned around, finding Isobe looking at her. His face was a mask of consternation, but his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"You slaughter the men, then the women, the children?" he asked loudly, his voice accusing. "Is that your idea of freedom?"

Sango stared at him angrily and answered, "Not if you don't incite them again, no."

Isobe ignored her and turned around, facing the villagers. "My dear friends! You've finally seen their true face – if even one of you doubted their murderous intent, here is the undeniable proof!" He pointed at the dying man, and continued, "But please, don't endanger your lives facing these monsters. You need one monster to defeat another, this is the truth I have learned; and I learned it harshly. Rein in your righteous wrath and let my youkai defeat them. I cannot bear to see you -"

Sango interrupted him angrily, "Spare us your hypocritical compassion! I tried reason, I didn't hurt the villagers as much as I could. Why didn't you help them then, instead of hiding behind your youkai like a coward?"

She felt that her words had an impact – the heads of the villagers turned from her to Isobe. She pointed at him with her sword and said, "I'll tell you why – because you happily waited until I had no other choice to defend myself. You sacrificed this man, just so you could play the gallant savior!"

"That's how you want to make it seem, so you don't have to assume responsibility," Isobe said evenly. "Only someone as shameless as you would dare to bring forward this argument, when in reality I had to use all my power to stop your evil witch from driving everyone crazy."

"Oh, so you regrettably had to stand there doing nothing?" Sango asked sarcastically. "That's the cheapest excuse I could think of."

"Is it?" Isobe asked and pointed at Masato, who was still pinned to the ground by his rosary. "But here is the proof - everybody saw that this youkai freed both you and the monk. Would he do so of his own, free will? I had to restrain him, while also holding the power of your dark miko at bay. If I hadn't... if your witch had turned the head of every man, this village would be a sea of blood by now."

Sango stared at him angrily, but no witty reply came to her mind. "That's ridiculous!" she shouted, but her voice seemed weak and quiet to her.

Unlike Isobe, whose voice suddenly seemed to be more pervasive again, as he said, "You come with your conniving offer of peace, while your witch is trying to bedazzle everybody. You point your sword at us, but speak of not wanting to hurt us. While the man you murdered in cold blood is lying at your feet."

Sango couldn't help but wince at being called a murderer, and took a step back.

Isobe pulled the sword at his side and shouted, "Whenever you open your mouth, it's just to twist the truth even further. Enough! Your witch has finally exhausted herself, and we four are more than enough to bring an end to your schemes. Prepare yourself, youkai princess!"

The humans below began to cheer again. Sango and stared at Isobe with a mixture of anger and helplessness, feeling like she had played straight into his hands. She had almost had the villagers on her side, or at least away from Isobe. But being two steps behind, she had walked straight into his trap.

Had she only been acting along the plot that Isobe had envisioned from the start?

Thinking about it from this perspective, she could anticipate the end of the play: a flashy final battle to show off Isobe's fighting skill. Ultimately winning heroically, he would at first let himself get pushed into the defensive, to make it more thrilling.

She stepped back, trying to think of a way to foil Isobe's plan, but nothing came to her mind. It was no longer possible to break out of the role she had been cast into.

She quickly looked back to her friends. Miroku was still busy with the villagers on the stairs. Kagome was lying on the ground, probably unconscious. Masato hadn't moved at all, still fixed to the floor by his prayer beads, and had given up on freeing himself by force.

'_I can't expect help from any of them,'_ Sango thought. She would have to win this fight on her own, against all odds. In Kaede's village, they had been able to beat Isobe. But this time, she was alone and exhausted, while he was rested and had the support of his youkai.

Her chances were close to zero.

She looked up into the night sky, a feeling of acceptance washing over her. A pleasant, cool breeze ran through her hair, and she laughed sadly, feeling her eyes moisten. Her grand warrior's death – would she, at last, get what she had wished for?

She shook her head and turned back to Isobe. "Let's draw the curtain on this play," she said with a tone of finality, and got into a fighting stance.

To her surprise, Isobe smiled. "Ah, an art lover," he said and made a short bow, "If I may say so, you played well. It was exquisite."

She could almost have laughed. She could almost have cried. Exchanging pleasantries with her executioner – was life just a play? Was the world just a stage? It felt surreal, maybe she was just dreaming. Yes, only dreaming. "This youkai princess," Sango said, "shall now take your life."

And she attacked. She felt light and moved carelessly, taking risks she normally wouldn't have. It developed like she had suspected – on the outside, it seemed like a thrilling fight, where she had the upper hand from the start. She could inflict a serious wound to Nobu, barely ten seconds after the skirmish began.

But beyond the surface, Isobe was the true ruler of the battle. If things started looking too good for her, he destroyed her advantage with the precision of a surgeon; if the tide of the battle threatened to turn against her, he retreated behind his youkai to let her recover.

Sango had known that her chances didn't look good, but soon all hope to defeat him had left her. Maybe one on one, with Hiraikotsu, things would have been different, but like this it was like fighting against a wall. He didn't leave her even a single second to catch her breath, keeping up the pressure without respite.

And all the while, the villagers gaped at the spectacle. The thought of ending this farce crossed her mind. If her friends hadn't depended on her, she would probably have given up. But she had to keep on, although her muscles started to scream against being overstrained. With every gasp for air, her lungs felt like they were on fire while in her chest, her heart was hammering in a relentless staccato. More and more, she just reacted, doing whatever was necessary to stay alive for a moment longer in the sea of claws and swords. She felt like an animal, jumping through hoops at Isobe's command.

For a moment, her and Isobe's eyes interlocked. His gaze appraising, he tried to find out how much more she could take. And after a second, Sango could see his decision reflected in his careless black eyes: She was at her limit, and he knew it. She desperately prepared herself.

Sudden as a snake, Isobe attacked. Sango tried to evade his stab, but her exhausted body was too slow.

* * *

Miroku pushed another villager down the stairs with the blunt end of his spear. They didn't press too hard, but he couldn't leave to help Sango, either, or they would have swarmed the stage in seconds.

He wouldn't have been much help, anyway – his injuries added up. Worst of all was his leg wound from his fight with Masato, when Kirara had been killed. At the moment, he didn't feel any pain, but his movements weren't nearly as quick as usual.

Once again, he allowed himself a second to check on Sango. At first, he had been surprised by how quickly she had gained the upper hand, but the fight was taking far too long. She should have finished it long ago.

A young man stormed up the stairs. Tearing his gaze away from Sango, Miroku stopped him with a stunning blow and then kicked him down.

He tried his best to not seriously hurt them. Sango had already killed a man, and he didn't want the tragedy to repeat. They were ultimately just normal villagers trying to defend their own.

A quiet cry caught his attention. He turned around, and for a moment, his heart stopped. Sango stumbled backwards, a sword stuck through her chest. Horrified, Miroku watched her collapse to her knees.

Isobe took a step back and raised his arms victoriously, bathing in the cheer of the villagers.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted, but it was lost in the noise. Kneeling, she swayed, but stopped herself from falling over.

The spear fell out of Miroku's hands; for a second, he couldn't think anything. Then he rushed to her. Behind him, he distantly noticed the villagers climbing up the stairs, but he no longer cared.

As he approached her, he saw that his first impression had fooled him. The sword was pierced through her arm and not her chest – it had been an illusion, created by seeing the scene from the side.

Relief flooded through Miroku, but it ended quickly. Sango sat on the floor, wheezing for air like he had never seen her before. Her face was pale and covered in sweat. "Sango!" he shouted again, dropping to his knees.

She turned her head, looking at him through glazed eyes. "Miroku," she said with a painful but honest smile.

"Sango!" he said. "Don't worry, it's not -" He'd wanted to console her, but his voice failed him when her head rolled down feebly. "Sango!"

But she hadn't fallen unconscious. "I did my best," Sango said. She had to squeeze out the words between gasping for air. "It – wasn't enough."

She looked completely exhausted. Her body, which she always had in control, seemed powerless. She began to cry and murmured, "It wasn't enough... I'm sorry."

Miroku embraced her. "Ssh, calm down. Nobody could have done better."

Sango shook, and Miroku felt her lean against him as she let herself hang. "Sango?"

Miroku helplessly watched as she closed her eyes. "Sango?" he asked again. "Stay with me!"

She didn't respond, her body gone completely limp. The only thing that kept him from assuming the worst was her breathing, that had slowed from erratic gasps to a quick, but at least regular pace. Miroku's sight strayed to the prayer beads covering his cursed arm. With a feeling of hatred, he looked up to Isobe and the villagers. They had formed a circle around him, keeping a respectful distance.

"Stay away from me," he snarled, gripping the prayer beads threateningly.

Isobe took a step forward. "Or you'll do what?"

"You know this curse can swallow the whole village," Miroku threatened. "Get away, if you value your lives."

"My dear friends!" Isobe said loudly, ignoring him. "He deems you fools, but you're wiser than that! His so-called curse is nothing more than a fabrication, a lie to scare witless cowards!"

Miroku glared at Isobe. The man knew full well about the _Kazaana_, after having almost been swallowed by it in Kaede's village. Still he gambled the life of the clueless villagers, using them as a shield.

Isobe stared at him challengingly. _'Use it!'_ he seemed to taunt. Miroku gripped the prayer beads firmly. He was torn between his Buddhist vows and his desire to protect Sango, but before he could even think about it, he felt Sango move.

He looked down, finding Sango had shifted to the side and laid her hand over his. She shook her head. "You're not a murderer, Miroku," she whispered. "That… was reserved for me."

Miroku felt tears stinging in his eyes. She looked so sad; he'd have done everything to save her. He looked at his cursed hand. If she could live, wasn't it worth even the worst punishment? Even is she despised him for it?

The second seemed to last forever. All his principles, his beliefs and the life he'd lived, pitted against the life of Sango. How could he choose? But he had to, or the decision would be made for him.

He turned his head, taking in the scene around him. The villagers had, unsettled by his threat, kept their distance. But they slowly inched closer, while Isobe, the architect of the scene, nobly held himself back with a smug grin. It was only a matter of seconds until someone would break the armistice.

Miroku looked up to the heavens and apologized. Deep in his heart, he realized that he would protect Sango, but still he was unable to make the first move. His hand gripped the rosary, ready to remove it at the slightest aggression.

The tension was unbearable. The stage suddenly shook slightly. Miroku almost removed the rosary on reflex, but could stop himself, as nobody had moved. The stage shook again, and the villagers looked around in confusion.

The night sky itself seemed to darken and come crashing down. It took Miroku a second to notice that the darkness had _solidified_. A big shape descended from the top of the cliff, straight down towards the village. No, the word big didn't do it justice – it was enormous.

It was like an earthquake when it hit the ground. Everything shook, and the noise was deafening. But that was before the creature _roared_, giving the word thunderous a whole new meaning.

Nearly everybody turned around. The creature still was too far away to make out details, hidden in the night. Only two glowing orbs stood out - huge blue eyes that glared down at the village.

For a second, nobody seemed to move. But then, the first villagers started to flee. As if a dam had broken, suddenly everyone was running. Some unlucky ones stumbled and were pushed along, or run over. Older people that couldn't keep up fell behind the others.

Miroku looked at Isobe and his three youkai, the last enemies left on the stage.

Isobe wore a look of exasperation. "What the hell?" he swore. He looked at the gigantic shadow, then after the villagers that were fleeing in the opposite direction. "That's the third time in a day. Don't they grow tired of running away?"

He turned to Nobu and the other youkai, and pointed at the gigantic form. "Stop it," he commanded. The three froze, visibly paling. But after a second, they nodded and slowly advanced towards their target.

Isobe turned around. Miroku gripped the rosary tightly, ready to remove it, but the man didn't attack.

"I salute you for outwitting me," Isobe said, his face twisted by anger. "I would have sworn that you had used your last ace. I shall _remember _this masterstroke."

Then he turned around and jumped down the stage to join the fleeing villagers. Miroku stared after him, partly glad that he was gone, partly displeased that they couldn't hold him liable.

"Miroku," Sango said in his arms. A series of coughs shook her, and Miroku looked at her anxiously. Her face twisted in pain when she moved her arm in the process, the sword still stuck through it.

Miroku wondered whether he should pull it out, but then she tried to stand up. After only a second, she fell back into his arms.

"Sango!" he exclaimed. "Don't overdo it."

"It's not over," Sango said, ignoring his statement. "We need to get away.... We're in no condition to fight this thing."

Miroku nodded; she was right. He turned around, relieved to see that Kagome was standing up; the villagers seemingly hadn't hurt her.

Next to Kagome, however, Masato was still fixed to the ground by his rosary.

"Sango, I'll stand up now. Tell me if it hurts or you're not feeling well," Miroku said.

Sango nodded impatiently.

"I mean it," Miroku said tenaciously. "You're seriously hurt."

"I've had a blade driven through my back by my own brother," Sango said angrily. "Don't think you can lecture me about injury and pain."

Miroku was surprised by vehemence of her reply. But he didn't back down – he would get her out of here alive, and if it was the last thing he did. They stared at each other, and Miroku could see Sango's frustration about her helplessness reflected in her eyes. Finally, she nodded again.

_'I guess that's the most I'll get,' _Miroku thought. "Thank you," he said, hoping to reconcile her, and stood up, carefully drawing up Sango with him.

She winced, but no sound escaped her. "Ready?" he asked carefully when they stood.

She nodded curtly. Miroku was tempted to lower her down again - she was still looking pale, and he was afraid that she could faint again any moment. If it happened, he was rather sure she _wouldn't_ warn him.

He looked back over his shoulder, but couldn't make out any details about their unexpected savior. Maybe it was a friend of Masato's? But if the youkai had a heavy-weight friend like that, why would he risk his life allying with humans? It didn't really add up.

The creature still stared down, its attention now focused on the three youkai that were advancing on it – if inching closer at snail's pace could be called advancing. Miroku wondered what the creature was waiting for; the three didn't seem very threatening. He doubted that they'd stall it for a long time.

In any case, he would have to trust Sango not to give out. Supporting her, he walked over to Kagome and Masato.

Kagome had stepped away from Masato, eying the youkai warily.

"Kagome," Miroku said, catching her attention. "Don't worry, he's on our side."

"He's _what_?" Kagome replied in a hostile tone. "He almost killed Inuyasha. He _killed_ Kirara."

Miroku noticed Sango shift next to him. He carefully weighed his words before he said, "It's a long story, but we owe our lives to him. He risked a lot to help us."

Kagome looked at the youkai in surprise. Occupied with her own predicament, she obviously hadn't noticed what had gone on behind her. "He released Sango and me," Miroku explained. "If it weren't for him, you'd be a dangling corpse on a rope."

Kagome unconsciously grabbed at her throat, tracing the strangulation marks. She looked deeply shaken; Miroku wasn't sure if he'd gone too far, but he didn't have time for delicate arguments. If they didn't help Masato at once, they would have to stand their ground or leave him behind; neither was a pleasant option. He needed to convince her of freeing him, quickly.

Kagome visibly shook herself and looked at Miroku. "You trust him?" she asked directly.

The question caught Miroku off guard. Did he really trust the youkai? No, he didn't. But they were in his debt, and he wanted to repay it. "Yes, I trust him," he lied.

"If you've finished philosophizing about my credibility, could you maybe help me up?" Masato asked sarcastically. "I'm growing bored of examining the floor."

Kagome looked at the youkai, hostility still on her face. "If you want me to help," she reprimanded, "you'd better ask politely. _I _haven't forgotten a thing you've done."

"Please, benevolent priestess, have a heart and free this poor Masato of his cursed necklace," the youkai deadpanned.

Kagome grimaced, but bit back any words of complaint. With a start, she knelt down and took the rosary in her hands. She hesitated for a second, absentmindedly staring at it, and then tried to take it off. However, like with Miroku's attempt, it stopped moving and began to glow. "Don't!" Miroku warned when she tried with force. With a cry, she released it and looked at her hands.

"It burns," Miroku said.

Kagome looked up rashly, shaking her hands. "And now? I don't know how to remove it."

Miroku looked back towards the looming creature. It still waited, but for how long? He could do without find out its motives.

"Shit," Masato cursed, catching Miroku's attention. The youkai gripped the necklace himself and shook it violently. It started to glow, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but he didn't seem to care. He continued to jerk on the rosary, yelling throatily, "I... _hate_... this cursed necklace."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said, sounding surprisingly guilty.

Masato finally released the necklace and said, "Isobe had warned me - you really couldn't take it off. Damn!"

Miroku looked at the youkai. What now?

Masato sighed, and after a second, he said, "You go on without me. You don't stand a chance against him."

Miroku exchanged a look with Sango. Judging by her facial expression, she thought like him about leaving Masato behind. There had to be another way.

"Go!" Masato yelled. "I don't want to be remembered a fool who wasted his life for _nothing_!"

"You'd rather be the fool who threw it away saving humans?" Sango asked cooly.

"Better than nothing," Masato growled back. "Now go already!"

"No," Sango said. "We wait. Sooner or later, your curse has to stop."

"Have you lost your marbles?" Masato asked. "I gather, this ain't a friend of yours. He definitely isn't mine, either. He'll attack any second."

"For now, he seems peaceful," Sango replied. "If he attacks, we'll think of something."

"You retarded girl!" Masato cursed. "That's a freakin' _taiyoukai_. You couldn't even scratch him!"

"A taiyoukai?" Miroku and Sango asked at the same time.

"Yes, a taiyoukai," Masato said. "He's got to be after Inuyasha. Probably sent by Sesshoumaru himself."

"Is it a dog demon?" Miroku asked in surprise.

"Have you got no nose at all?" Masato asked incredulously. "Yes, a dog demon. With teeth, every single one bigger than you!"

Miroku and Sango looked at each other. "Should I tell him?" Sango asked uneasily.

"What?" Kagome and Masato asked simultaneously.

"Well," Miroku began. "We may have kinda overplayed the hostility between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru."

"I don't think he's here to hurt us," Sango added.

Masato froze. "You're friends with him?" he asked, suddenly sounding crestfallen.

Sango looked down at Masato with a guilty expression. "I don't know who this is; he's not our friend, as you put it. But since he hasn't attacked, he's probably on our side at the moment."

"He's on _your _side," Masato hissed. "Ha! I don't believe it. I really am a fool who wasted his life for nothing."

"What's wrong!" Sango shouted back, and coughed. Miroku looked at her worriedly, but she had already caught herself. In fact, some color had returned to her face. She continued, "We get saved by a lucky coincidence – yes, you as well! - but all you can do is complain."

"_You_ got saved, human," Masato replied curtly. "Not me."

"Listen -" Sango started, but then the ground shook again, just slightly. Miroku turned around – the number of orbs glaring at them had just doubled. The newcomer was even bigger, with eyes the color of molten steel.

After exchanging a look and a low growl, they advanced towards the village. Nobu and the other youkai stopped for a moment, looking at each other.

The two dog demons snarled at them, not stopping. The message was clear: get out of our way. They were now close enough to the village to make out details. Through the bigger youkai's upper chest ran a big scar, plainly visible as it cut through his brown fur, not a single hair growing on it. The smaller one was still hard to spot, his black silky fur reflecting only some of the light.

"Okakura and Akahito," Miroku mumbled, recognizing them. They'd met them them barely a week ago, on their way to Kaede's village. The older one, Okakura, had tried to persuade Inuyasha to join Sesshoumaru in some mysterious quest. After Akahito and Inuyasha had bumped their heads, the two demons had left empty-handed. What were they doing here?

Nobu started to gesticulate with his comrades, then stormed at the two taiyoukai. He swiped at Okakura, though it didn't look like he inflicted any damage. A second later, he was buried under a massive paw.

Next to him, Akahito bit at the two other youkai. One could jump to the side, the other vanished between the dog demon's enormous jaw. The last survivor had barely risen from the ground when Okakura swiped at him, sending him flying like a rag doll. Silently, the youkai vanished into the night, his broken limbs whirling uncontrolledly.

Miroku gulped; they had swatted the three like flies. His mind began to revise the view that the two were on their side. He absentmindedly touched the prayer beads sealing the _Kazaana_.

Having reached the village, Okakura began to shrink. After assuming his human form, he vanished into one of the huts.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku heard Kagome shout next to him.

"Is Inuyasha in this hut?" Sango asked.

Kagome nodded.

Miroku cursed silently. 'If the two youkai are here to abduct the hanyou, we aren't in a state to chase after the demons, let alone fight them. Or worse, had they been sent to punish Inuyasha for refusing Sesshoumaru's request? It was the most obvious reason for them to be here.

It seemed to take forever until Okakura finally exited the hut, carrying Inuyasha with both arms. He nodded at Akahito, who was still in demon form. Then he made a big leap.

A second later, he landed gracefully on the stage. Miroku felt Sango flinch slightly.

"Why, hello, Master Inuyasha's friends," Okakura said in a friendly voice. "Fancy meeting you here."

Instead of an answer, Kagome rushed forward. "Inuyasha!" she cried and took the hanyou out of Okakura's arms.

"Calm down, missy," he said and helped her lower Inuyasha down. After standing up, he took a look into the round. "Forgive me for saying so, but you look like terrible. What happened here?"

"A man incited the village against us," Miroku explained warily. So far, the youkai seemed friendly. "We owe you thanks for helping us out. How did you find us here?"

"We were merely passing by, by chance. We noticed an unusual smell of youkai and decided to inspect," Okakura explained. He walked over to Masato and crouched before him. "Which brings us to the topic at hand: Who are you?"

Masato didn't respond.

"Funny," Okakura said. "And here I thought that a cat couldn't be taught obedience."

"Funny," Masato hissed. "And here I thought a dog is always on a human's leash."

They stared at each other. "Please correct me, but the one with the collar appears to be you," Okakura replied kindly, then his tone changed all of a sudden. Deadly serious, he asked, "I can smell the blood of a dog demon on your claws. Whose is it?"

Masato didn't reply. Okakura flexed his claws. "You're treading on thin ice, little cat," he said slowly.

Miroku noticed Sango leave his side. Before he could react, she'd already stepped between the two youkai and said with determination, "Stop it! Leave him alone."

With a bad feeling, Miroku went after her and demonstratively stood next to Sango.

Okakura looked up, his gaze jumping from Sango to Miroku. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You're treading on thin ice as well, little humans."

A shiver ran down Miroku's spine when the old youkai's eyes fell on him. He had to resist edging away, or attacking, or doing _something_.

Suddenly, Akahito landed on the stage as well with a loud thud, in human form. Just like last time, the younger demon looked ready to pick a fight.

_'Danger!'_ everything in Miroku screamed. He tried to look unimpressed, hoping that his black eye and his slight limping didn't undermine the performance too much. He guessed that a bit of the truth was necessary, though he'd have to watch what he said. What worried him the most was Masato's unclear relationship to Sesshoumaru.

"Inuyasha went berserk," Miroku began carefully, "and Masato stopped him. That must be the blood you're smelling."

"Impossible!" Akahito exclaimed. "It's a full blooded demon's smell!"

"You're saying that Master Inuyasha's youkai blood took over?" Okakura asked, ignoring his younger companion.

Miroku nodded wordlessly.

"What took over, his youkai blood?" Akahito asked disbelievingly. "That's possible?"

That moment, Masato's spell wore off. The cat youkai pushed himself up and took a step back, getting into a fighting stance. A moment later, everyone else followed suit. Miroku turned around, looking at Masato, while Sango stayed and covered his back. He almost hurt himself on the katana stuck through Sango's arm, and cursed silently at seeing it.

Even Kagome stood up, but stayed next to Inuyasha. From the corner of his eye, Miroku saw that only Okakura kept crouching on the floor, looking at the whole scene with a slightly amused expression. The old youkai hummed thoughtfully and said, "You fought with Inuyasha? You must be pretty good, then.... Masato's the name, right?"

Masato nodded warily.

"A cat demon by the name of Masato – never heard of you," Okakura said conversationally. "Where are you from, what are you doing here?" When Masato briefly looked behind himself, Okakura added, "Oh, and don't bother running away. There's this barrier that reaches around the whole village, but I'm sure you know this."

Masato took another step back and said curtly, "I was here with Isobe, just like everyone else. The barrier's his, too – stops all youkai from leaving the village."

"Isobe," Okakura said thoughtfully. "Never heard of him, either."

"He's the man controlling this," Masato said, pointing at his rosary. "We've been here for about a week, today Inuyasha attacked us."

"Oh, so you were here by chance," Okakura said, "That's lucky, I doubt that many would be able to stop Master Inuyasha. He's the son of a taiyoukai, you see."

"I know," Masato said curtly. "He's the son of Lord Seibunishi, and the half-brother of Lord Sesshoumaru."

Okakura clapped his hands and turned to Akahito. "Ha, and he's educated as well. A rare find!"

"Look, I don't want to fight with you," Masato said slowly. "I was caught here, and I just want to leave peacefully."

"I can't accept that," Okakura said in a friendly tone. "Such a deed doesn't happen every day. In fact, I'm sure that Lord Sesshoumaru himself would be delighted to meet the one who saved his little brother. I insist that you join us."

"Okakura!" Akahito cut in. "Have you lost your marbles? He's a damn _cat _youkai! Let's finish him off here and now!"

Masato hissed at the younger dog demon, who growled back. Miroku cursed silently, trying to keep an eye on both parties.

"Akahito!" Okakura said with consternation. "Have you no heart? The poor kitty was caught by a terrible human. Look how frightened he still is! Can you really ignore his sad story?"

"Don't mock me, old man," Masato said slowly. "I can at least take your puppy down with me."

Predictably, the rash Akahito went red. "If you call me a puppy one more time..." the young youkai threatened, gripping behind his back. When his hand moved forward again, it held a short axe.

Masato turned to Akahito, his face deadly serious. Okakura rose from his crouch.

_'Damn,' _Miroku thought. What had they gotten into? He was mostly worried about themselves. If taiyoukai started a fight, it was a bad idea for any human to be staying in the area. Sango and him were standing exactly_ between_ them.

Okakura laughed. "A cat with a backbone – never thought I'd see one."

"A dog with wits," Masato replied. "Never thought I'd see one."

It probably wasn't a good idea, but Miroku decided to interrupt them, "Could you maybe postpone your saber-rattling?"

"You keep out of this, human!" Akahito growled, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Alas, I cannot stay silent," Miroku said. "We've had a very bad day, and my girlfriend has a sword stuck through her arm which she'll probably pull on you any moment. I'd prefer to remove it in a controlled fashion."

A short silence ensued. He noticed Sango shift on his back. He wondered whether it was because he had guessed her intentions or because he'd called her his girlfriend.

"Forgive our insensitivity!" Okakura said, breaking the silence. "To a youkai, such injuries would barely matter – I didn't think. Of course, the wounds of Master Inuyasha's friends need to be taken care of."

Miroku wasn't sure whether to take the youkai's words at face value. "For starters, I suggest leaving here," he said warily. "I daresay we've seen enough of this village."

"A solid plan," Okakura agreed. "Let's depart at once."

"Wait!" Kagome interrupted. "We need to find Shippou."

"Shippou?" Okakura asked. "The little fox demon?"

"He should be in one of the shacks," Masato said. He hesitated for a second, then added, "Also, there's a real dog demon here well."

"There's _what_?" Akahito asked angrily and took a step forward. "A dog demon - with a _collar_?"

"Yes, a collar from a human," Masato replied neutrally. He finally relaxed his fighting stance and stood upright. "Haruka. You probably want to get her out of here as well."

_'Haruka?' _Miroku thought. Wasn't that the female demon Sango had fought with? _'She's a dog demon?'_

"That's an _outrage_!" Akahito shouted and looked around, sniffing. "Where is this Isobe?"

"He has fled with the villagers," Masato said. "If you want to chase him, you should hurry – he has his ways to vanish without a trace."

"We have to -" Akahito shouted.

"Shut up for a second and let me think," Okakura barked. "This is serious."

Akahito rolled with his eyes. "No shit..." he muttered.

Okakura stared into the distance, humming to himself. "So," he said after a while, "we're going to grab the two and then get out of here. You lead the way, Masato."

Masato didn't move. "And turn my back on two dog demons? I think not."

"You're saying we'd stab you in the back?" Akahito asked incredulously. "Don't insult our honor!"

Okakura sighed. "Look, little cat, if we wanted to, we could kill you anytime. And as you see, Akahito is much too eager for a fight to strike you down from behind."

Masato shrugged and folded his arms. "I'm not leading the way."

"Fine!" Miroku interrupted with a worried side glance at Sango. "I'll lead the way, alright?"

He turned to Sango. "Sango, we'll be back in a minute. Will you manage?"

Sango nodded and said, "I'll pull out the sword with Kagome. You go and find Shippou, we need to leave."

Still feeling uneasy about her, he turned around and went forward to jump down the stage. His leg hurt when he landed, but he hadn't wanted to amuse the youkai by walking down the stairs and bit back the pain. His gaze came to rest on Ryota, who was lying on the ground next to him.

The youkai was dead, his body covered in wounds. It looked like the villagers had used every tool in their possession on him. Somehow, the sight left Miroku feeling strangely hollow. He wondered why it didn't fill him with gratification. A while back, he'd have given his life to see the youkai dead.

Maybe because he'd wanted to kill him with his own hands?

He looked back to Sango. She'd gone over to Kagome, who was taking a look at her arm. He wondered if he should tell her his discovery, but didn't know what to say. Would she feel better if she saw this? A part of him feared that she wouldn't, while another thought that it wasn't his right to keep this from her.

_'Later,' _he decided, steeling himself. He turned to the youkai, asking, "What are you waiting for?"

First to move was Okakura, then Akahito and Masato followed suit. "Shippou should be in one of these huts," the cat demon explained on the way.

They continued in silence, the youkai keeping a respectful distance from each other. At some point, Akahito must have picked up Shippou's smell and pointed at one of the huts. "This one."

Shippou really was inside. Miroku hurried to the little fox demon, locating him more by sound than by sight – it was very dark inside. Shippou was breathing steadily, but wasn't conscious. Miroku carefully picked him up and carried him outside. It was strange.... He knew how heavy Shippou was - the kid was always quick to jump on somebody's shoulder - but carrying him like this, he seemed much lighter.

"Get a move on, human!" Akahito interrupted impatiently. "Where's this dog demon?"

"This way," Masato said.

They found Haruka propped up against a wall, still unconscious. Akahito hurried forward, but slowed after a few steps.

"What's wrong?" Okakura asked sharply.

Akahito didn't answer immediately.

"She's wearing... not much," he finally replied lamely.

For a second, nobody spoke. Then, Okakura laughed loudly. "Don't scare us like that, you fool! Ha! I don't believe it... Not wearing much - what's so bad about that?" he asked, still laughing.

"Nothing!" Akahito shouted. He had his back turned on them, but Miroku could imagine the youkai's face flushing.

"Let's hope," Masato said with dry sarcasm, "the view doesn't scar his innocent mind."

Akahito practically flew around. "You!" he spat, pointing at Masato. "One more word!"

Masato raised his arms peacefully. "Something wrong?" he asked, feigning surprise.

Looking disappointed at meeting no resistance, Akahito clenched his fist and turned around again. He hurried forward and stopped in front of Haruka. "How come only the demons and half-demons are unconscious?" he asked in a huff.

"The humans might be more resilient than you think," Miroku said diplomatically.

"Like bugs!" Akahito ranted on.

On another day, Akahito's comment would probably annoyed him, but at the moment it didn't concern him at all. "That's a way to put it," Miroku said and yawned heartily. He was glad that Shippou was alright and everybody was alive. All he had to watch out for was that the youkai didn't start a quarrel amongst themselves.

"Akahito, I think you should carry her," Okakura said with a snicker. "It's about time you get your hands on a woman."

Akahito gave Okakura a death glare, but then crouched down. Belying his explosive nature, he took great care picking her up. He turned around with a concerned look. "She's so light..." he said worriedly. "Is she sick?"

"She never ate a lot," Masato explained. "Said that a dancer needs to be lean."

"That ain't lean," Akahito growled. "She's like a feather."

"We didn't get to eat much in the last week," Masato said. "Isobe was away and we only got scraps from the villagers."

Masato's reply clearly upset Akahito. "A dog demon getting fed scraps? _By humans_?" he asked, his voice dripping with venom. He looked at Haruka with a disgusted expression. "And she ate them?"

"No," Masato replied, a tint of anger in his voice. "As you can see, she did not."

Angrily, the two youkai glared at each other, their eyes glowing in the night. For a second, Miroku worried that the two would begin to quarrel again. But then Okakura interrupted, "Alright, that's everyone. Let's get going."

Miroku had the bad feeling that this night was far from over.

They made back for the stage in silence.

Walking up the stairs, Miroku found both girls sitting on the floor. Kagome was tending to Sango's arm. The miko's shirt was now also missing the other sleeve, which was serving as a bandage.

"Sango, how are you?" he asked worriedly, hurrying forward. Lying next to her was the sword, covered in her blood. He knelt down next to Sango and put Shippou on the floor.

"It started bleeding when we pulled it out," Kagome explained. "I need to apply more pressure."

"How can I help?" Miroku asked eagerly.

"Not distracting me would be a good start," Kagome replied, not looking up. "I'll be done in a second."

Miroku watched helplessly as Kagome continued. Sango kept her head down, gritting her teeth. The makeshift bandage was slowly dampening with blood. "Can't I do _something_?" he asked abruptly.

Kagome just ignored him, and he felt annoyance welling up in him. He couldn't just watch while Sango was clearly in pain. He took her hand in his, wanting to show his support.

Sango squeezed it to the point where it hurt.

"Done!" Kagome said loudly and sat back, wiping sweat from her brow. She looked over to Miroku. "You can relax," she said with a small smile. "The bleeding has stopped."

Miroku nodded, swallowing his emotions, and turned to Sango. "How do you feel?"

Sango looked up with a strained smile and said, "It will heal, don't -" She broke off all of a sudden. At first, Miroku worried something was wrong with her, but then he noticed she was looking behind him. "What's _that_?" she asked with concern.

He turned around and saw that it was Shippou who had caught her interest. _'What's wrong?'_ he worried, and then he noticed what he'd overseen in the dark of the hut: mostly hidden beneath the clothes, something black peeked out.

Kagome rushed to Shippou. She knelt down and pulled back the fox demon's shirt, revealing what was beneath.

Stupefied, she looked at the rosary around Shippou's neck.


	40. Chapter 39: The Other Side

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**Author rantings:**  
Took me a while this time - sorry for the wait. There were like three weeks where I practically didn't write at all. Probably cause it's summer... I can be quite lazy during this time of the year. ;)

_Junyotrakr _– Yeah, they're all pretty beat up at the moment. On the plus side, I doubt that the villagers will go after them; I daresay they've had enough of demons. ;)

_Danton_** – **Thanks for your detailed review; I'm glad you're still liking the story and that I could make you nervous. ;) The story is somewhere in the middle now; to be honest, it doesn't seem so big in my head. But putting the damn thing on paper is really taking its time. :)

_A random critic_ – About the name of Inuyasha's mother - when I started this story, I think even movie 2 wasn't out yet. I had to make up a name; also, I don't think her name is ever mentioned in the manga.

**August 2****nd****, 2010: **Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Sirenia_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 39**

_There's a light and a darkened road  
There's a night and a fading hope  
There was a dream that once was mine  
But now it seems it has passed with time_

_**The Other Side**_

Akahito watched the humans tend to the wounds of the female youkai hunter, but quickly lost interest. She had a little scratch – oh, the drama.

He turned his attention back to Haruka, whom he still carried. She had moved a few times, but hadn't opened her eyes yet. Although unusually lean, she clearly was a dog demon. Stripes on her face, pointed ears, long black hair, and the unambiguous smell. She seemed to be older than him, at least by a decade or maybe two.

According to the stinking cat youkai, she hadn't gotten enough to eat. That had to be the reason why she wouldn't regain consciousness.

One the side of her face, a small runlet of blood had dried on her face. He traced it to its beginning, finding a bump at her temple. It looked like something blunt had hit her on the head. It had probably been Inuyasha who had knocked her out – but with a dog demon who let herself get ordered around, it might be possible that even a human could win against her.

She was a dancer, the cat had said. Akahito grimaced with disgust. A dog demon! A _dancer_! Could one sink even lower? The only honorable occupation for a dog demon was that of a fighter. A strong soul, independent and unconquerable. This Haruka was neither. He imagined her dancing around in front of humans, wearing just a little more than nothing. It made him want to drop her, this shame to his race.

An agitation between the humans caught his attention. They were fussing over the little fox demon. He couldn't make out why - they all bent over the little body, perfectly blocking Shippou from view. Akahito curiously stepped closer, trying to get a look. "What's wrong?"

The humans had the nerve to ignore him. The miko in the strange garment tried to touch the fox, but the monk held her back. "Lady Kagome, you have to pull yourself together! We'll find a way to get it off."

Akahito could finally see the reason for the commotion: the fox demon was wearing a rosary as well. Obviously, it wasn't the miko's, or she wouldn't react so appalled – she was now shouting at the monk, who tried to calm her down.

"Lady Kagome -"

"That's _Shippou _we're talking about!" the miko interrupted. Akahito grimaced at having her shrill voice assault his ears as she continued, "Do you want to just hand him over to Isobe?"

_'What a hypocrite,' _Akahito thought, deciding to keep out of the human's petty quarrel. _'She isn't so averse to having control over Inuyasha.'_

Lord Sesshoumaru had warned them that his half-brother was on the leash of a miko. Still, it hadn't prepared Akahito for seeing the spell in action on Masato. Finding him locked to the ground like that had been disturbing. Although he was a cat, he was at least a youkai.

Akahito gulped. It turned the natural order upside down. Prayer beads in the hands of a human were something to watch out for; but until now, something he'd thought only weak demons – and lousy hanyou – fell prey to. _'If anyone put a rosary on me, I'd kill him or die trying,' _Akahito thought with conviction. He turned to Inuyasha, who was still lying on the floor where Okakura had put him, and wondered how the hanyou could bear having that thing around his neck. What a disgrace!

Seeing the hanyou's battered body, he tried to guess what exactly had happened. The thing with the full demon blood still puzzled him. Could the mongrel somehow turn into a _real _youkai?

Interrupting his train of thought, Okakura made a step towards the humans. "I think we really ought to get going. Are you ready?"

First to look up was the youkai huntress. "Give me a minute, I'll get Hiraikotsu."

The monk left with her, saying that he also needed to look for his staff.

While waiting for the two, Akahito looked at the miko. She held the little demon in her arms, cradling him as if he were about to die. Her concern bewildered Akahito. She cared for Shippou although he wasn't her son, not even a human. Part of him felt that she was overstepping a boundary.

Well, at least she was finally quiet.

Haruka shifted in his arms, and he looked down to her expectantly. After a second, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up to him dizzily.

"Hello," he said simply. "Finally awake?"

It took her a second, but then her eyes focused and she pushed herself away from him. She landed on all fours and looked up at him warily.

"Ah, our sleeping beauty has awakened," Okakura said good-naturedly.

Haruka turned to the old youkai. She stayed in a crouch, her face showing a shocked expression for a second. Then she blinked and clenched her jaw. "Am I dead?" she asked, her voice sad, but even.

Okakura looked surprised, then he grinned. "Am I so otherworldly good-looking?"

Haruka looked at him confusedly. She seemed to relax a bit and replied, "Age has done nothing to dull your looks. Please, good sir, tell me the truth."

Okakura's smile faltered a bit, then he shook his head. "No, you're still among the living."

Haruka sniffed, as if trying to find a trace of untruthfulness. Then the shocked look returned to her face, and she looked around herself.

"Hey there, Haruka," Masato said when her sight fell on him.

"Masato! What's going on?"

"You're free," Masato said neutrally. "Your kin has finally come for you."

She stared at him with a dumbfound expression. Then she stood up and swayed, looking around confusedly. When her sight strayed over Inuyasha, all color drained from her face.

"So you've finally kept your promise, brother," she mumbled, staring at the hanyou as if seeing a ghost.

Akahito ogled at Haruka. _'Wait... brother?'_

But she was a full youkai. That would mean that... "Lord Sesshoumaru is your brother?" Akahito blurted out.

Haruka ignored him, still staring at Inuyasha. Catching herself, she took a few steps towards the hanyou.

The miko stepped next to Inuyasha, cautiously watching Haruka. "Wait," she said. "Do you know him?"

Haruka stopped, taking a look at the human girl. She blinked, as if unsure about the right answer, and asked, "This is Kiba, right?"

The miko shook her head. "His name is Inuyasha."

Disbelievingly, Haruka looked down to the hanyou again. "He looks so young, he should be older..." she said. "But, he's just like I remember him. It has to be Kiba. Or is it his son?"

"I'm sure he's the same you remember," the miko said and thought for a moment. "When did you last see him?"

Haruka gulped. "An eternity ago... Forty, fifty years ago. Maybe sixty? I stopped counting."

The miko nodded, as if Haruka's statement explained everything.

Which, Akahito found, it didn't. "I don't understand anything at all," he huffed. "Are you really Lord Sesshoumaru's sister?"

Haruka turned to him and asked, pointing at Inuyasha, "Is he now also called Sesshoumaru?"

For a second, Akahito only spluttered. "What a ridiculous question!" he finally brought out. "Of course not!"

"Then I do not know this Sesshoumaru," she stated. "Who would that be?"

Akahito gaped at her her. "He's the Lord of the Western Lands! _Every _dog demon knows him!"

Haruka shrugged. "I don't."

"Show some respect!" Akahito retorted. "If it weren't for him, you would still be bowing your head to humans!"

"Really?" Haruka replied and turned around theatrically. "Please, point him out to me, so I can express my gratitude."

Akahito felt his temper running thin. "Of course he's not here in person. Unlike his lousy hanyou brother, he hasn't got time to bum around!"

"He must be a very reliable person," Haruka replied with narrowed eyes, "judging from all the support he has shown over the years."

"I warn you!" Akahito said and took a step forward. "Lord Sesshoumaru -"

"Enough!" Okakura interrupted loudly. "It's obvious she isn't Lord Sesshoumaru's sister. If you want to quarrel, do it when I don't have to hear you!"

Akahito glared Okakura, then at Haruka. She shot him the tiniest smile in return, annoying him further. He looked away and ignored her. _'Damn her,' _he thought. _'That's what you get for helping somebody!'_

The two humans returned, both with their respective weapons. The female youkai hunter also carried a bow and a sword. Akahito recognized it as Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga.

The two reacted reservedly when they saw Haruka. Out of the corner of his eye, Akahito noticed Haruka taking a step back. She and the youkai hunter were staring at each other.

"Are we _finally_ ready?" Okakura asked impatiently. "Unless you want to wait for this Isobe guy to return?"

Haruka jerked around. "Wait!" she shouted. "He's still _alive_?"

Okakura nodded pointedly. "He escaped with the villagers."

Haruka took a few steps back. "No..." she mumbled, looking around frantically. "I didn't..."

Akahito stared at her in bewilderment. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, but she ignored him and continued looking around.

He turned to Okakura. "What now?" he asked, hoping the old demon knew what to do. "I think she's finally lost it."

"We can't leave her behind," Okakura answered and turned to Haruka. "Hey! Pull yourself together! We're leaving, and you're coming with us!"

His loud voice caught her attention – she turned around and looked at the old demon with an unsettled expression. "No!" she replied. "I'm sorry, but I have to stay here."

Okakura's face hardened. "You seem to think that I'm _asking _you. You are coming with us. Period."

Haruka stared at him with an worried expression. "You can't force me..." she said slowly.

Okakura finally lost his calm. "One would think you'd be _happy _to be saved!" he shouted. "Instead, you're trampling on the valor of your so-called brother! I've had enough! You can come with us on your own, or I'll knock you out again and carry you along!"

"Hey..." Masato said. "Calm down, old man."

"Silence!" Okakura barked at the cat youkai, then turned to Haruka again. "What's your choice?"

Haruka had taken another step back, but seemed to realize that she couldn't run away. She didn't answer for a while, staring at the ground. Finally, she closed her eyes and nodded. "All right," she said curtly. "Will you guarantee my safety?"

"Of course," Okakura huffed, sounding calmer. "You're one of us, don't you realize that?"

Akahito had his own thoughts on the topic, but kept them to himself. "Really..." he said. "We're helping you. Can't you be a bit grateful?"

She turned around, locking eyes with him. "This is treason," she answered. "When he catches me, he'll kill me on the spot."

Her even stare unsettled him. "Then don't let him catch you," he replied. "Sometimes you have to take a risk."

Okakura nodded. "The moments in which you can give your life a new direction are few and far between. If you let them slip away, you'll never change anything."

"I knew many who talked like that," Haruka replied. "They usually died during their first year."

Okakura wanted to reply, but then he shook his head. "Anyway, we'll leave now," he said and turned to the humans. "What about you?"

"Ready when you are," the monk replied.

To Akahito's satisfaction, they finally left the village. Okakura carried Inuyasha and the miko took Shippou. They walked in silence, not up the cliff, but straight into the forest.

Very soon, Akahito felt impatience welling up in him. The humans set a rather slow pace, blindly stumbling in the dark. He almost suggested to transform and carry them, but caught himself, realizing that it would have looked like they were the ones in command, riding on him. He huffed angrily. It was as if the humans had planned to slow them down! He entertained himself with keeping an eye on Masato and Haruka, not trusting either of them.

After a while, they arrived at the edge of the barrier, a slight glimmer visible in the air.

"Give me a moment," Okakura said and carefully put Inuyasha to the ground, "I want test this Isobe guy's ability."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and reached out with his right. The barrier came to life, denying Okakura with a crackling sound.

After a second, he leaned against it. As he pushed against it with more and more force, the barrier's fizzling grew ever louder. A field of lightning formed at the point of contact, quickly gaining in intensity.

To Akahito's surprise, Okakura's face began to transform, his eyes glowing wildly. Thick stripes became visible on his half-canine face. The old youkai growled angrily, illuminated in the barrier's bright light.

Akahito retreated a step - Okakura's youki had risen further than anything he had ever experienced; and it still grew, fiercely clashing against the barrier. It smelled as if something was burning.

Then, all of a sudden, it was dark. Akahito squinted his eyes out of reflex. At first he thought that Okakura had finally broken the barrier, but as his eyes adjusted, he could once again see it lingering in the air.

Okakura had stepped away from the barrier, already back to his human form. He was panting, something Akahito hadn't seen before. "Okakura?" he asked carefully.

"Formidable," Okakura said, catching his breath.

Akahito gulped - the word seemed really ominous out of the elder youkai's mouth. _'Even Okakura can't break it,' _he thought. _'We're trapped!'_

"How are you supposed to protect me from Lord Isobe?" Haruka asked. "You can't even escape his prison walls."

"Oh, shut up," Akahito said and thought about what to do. The barrier had to have a source somewhere. If they could find it, it should be possible -

"Sango, can you hold Shippou for a moment?" he heard the miko ask behind him.

He turned around and saw the girl take her bow. She nocked an arrow and drew the bow, aiming at the barrier. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Then her power suddenly spiked. With a shout, she released the arrow. Glowing brightly, it pierced through the barrier and vanished into the night sky. For a moment, it looked like a thousand shattered pieces of glass fell to the floor, until the barrier vanished completely.

Akahito retreated in shock, almost running into Masato. It felt like every single hair on his body was standing on end. It had just been for a moment, but the power level of the miko had been insane. _'The barrier even Okakura couldn't break - she shredded it like a paper sheet.'_

The girl calmly shouldered her bow and took back Shippou from the taijiya. She turned to Haruka, wide eyes hinting at the fact that she could barely see in the darkness, and said, "Don't give up too early."

Akahito stared at the girl disbelievingly. What his instincts were still screaming – to kill or get the hell away from her – was entirely opposites to what his eyes showed him. A weak human girl, blind in the night.

Akahito turned to Okakura. The old youkai was also looking at the girl, his face an unreadable mask. "Thanks," he said finally and picked up Inuyasha. "Let's go."

As they continued, Akahito fell behind the miko, not able to stand having her in his back. The creature nodded at him; she seemed to think that he intended to secure the rear end of the group. He huffed in annoyance.

They stopped after not even an hour. Okakura tried to spur them on, but in the end even he had to admit that it made no sense to continue – the humans had gotten slower and slower. They were not only blind, but exhausted as well. Worst of all was the monk, who had started to walk with a limp.

They settled down and prepared for the night. Soon, a small campfire was burning and everybody gathered around it. They ate a little; Okakura had caught them a hare. When they finished, Akahito sat down against a tree and entertained himself with observing the humans. The crazy miko had sat down next to Inuyasha, stroking the hanyou's head. The taijiya and the monk sat next to each other, both staring into the crackling flames. For being Inuyasha's companions, he would have imagined them to be a bit more energetic.

_'What a boring lot,'_ he thought after a minute and turned around to Haruka. She stood a bit to the side and kept watching the forest. Her face looked tense as her eyes slowly scanned over the surroundings.

He wondered who her family was. He racked his brain for a dog demon with similar appearance, but nobody came to mind. Other than her black hair, he couldn't find any unusual features. How come nobody had missed her?

His sight strayed to her breasts. They were about right for his liking, maybe a bit too small. Still, the proportions fit together, there wasn't much that her clothing could have concealed. A bit more flesh on her ribs and she would have been pleasant to look at, but the thought that she hopped around like that for humans took all the fun out of watching her.

She noticed that he was looking at her and turned around to him. Hoping to get a rise out of her, he kept staring at her. She looked at him dispassionately for a while, then shrugged and returned to searching the forest.

_'What's with her?' _Akahito wondered. She acted as if he wasn't even there. _'Crazy bitch.'_

He shifted into a more comfortable position and half closed his eyes, but made sure to keep her in his field of vision, and that crooked cat as well.

* * *

Kagome absentmindedly looked at Inuyasha, the events of the evening replaying in her head. The moment Kirara died. The moment when Inuyasha's youkai blood took over; his fight with Masato.

The moment when the noose tightened around her neck and pulled her up.

She closed her eyes, but that just made it worse. The pictures wouldn't vanish. She could see them, again and again and again.

_'Go away!'_ she thought, noticing her pulse quickening. She tried to occupy her mind with something else, but it just started all over.

She opened her eyes again and concentrated on Inuyasha. They had somehow accomplished what they had set out for. Yet, he was bloody and bruised, and she couldn't help feeling guilty. She had sat him, cooperating with Isobe out of all people. Inuyasha had crashed to the ground, although he had already been hurt badly. _'A great help I have been...'_

He hadn't regained consciousness ever since. Although she hoped that he would be better soon, she also dreaded the moment he woke up. They had parted in anger in Kaede's village. Although they had saved him from a desperate situation, Inuyasha would probably not react nicely to the fact that he had _needed _to be saved.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone walking over. She looked up and saw that it was Haruka, Inuyasha's self-proclaimed sister.

They hadn't talked during their hike through the forest, although a lot of questions had been on the tip of Kagome's tongue; at least, at first. She had quickly lost herself in the monotonous pace, and her mind had started to drift. Once they had stopped, Haruka had kept her distance, probably overwhelmed by the drastic changes to her own situation.

"Hi," Haruka said shortly when she reached her.

"Hello," Kagome replied.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Haruka sat down next to Kagome, Inuyasha between them. Kagome noticed that she was still stroking his head. She was a bit embarrassed, but didn't want to lose Inuyasha's soothing presence, so she just continued.

"How are you?" Kagome asked. "You were out for quite a while."

"I feel a bit dizzy," Haruka admitted. "But it's nothing to worry about. It could have ended a lot worse - if she had wanted to, your friend could have killed me."

Kagome intently looked at Haruka. She had said it with an even voice, and didn't look like she had any hard feelings over it. "Sango wouldn't kill someone unconscious," Kagome said. "So don't hold it against her."

Haruka laughed mirthlessly. "_I_ probably wouldn't have held back," she said. "I can't complain." She looked away, down to Inuyasha.

Kagome thought about it. "You wouldn't have had much of a choice, would you?"

Haruka shrugged.

They remained silent for a while. Kagome wondered about the life Haruka had led and the kind of things had she been forced to do. At the very least, it seemed like killing somebody wasn't new to her.

_'She's at least fifty years old, if she remembers Inuyasha,'_ Kagome thought and reminded herself to not mistake Haruka as young or naive. The looks of the youkai were deceiving – she didn't seem much older than twenty. The only thing to argue the converse were her composed, almost numb eyes, which seemed to regard the world much too calmly.

Haruka reached out, carefully touching Inuyasha's cheek. A sudden impulse of jealousy surprised Kagome. Although Haruka barely brushed Inuyasha's skin, the gesture bore a hesitant familiarity.

"He looks so young..." Haruka mumbled, her gaze fixed on the hanyou. "I used to call him big brother."

Kagome felt guilty for being envious of somebody who was being reunited after more than fifty years. With a deep breath, she forced the feeling into the back of her head and asked, "So he called you little sister?"

For the first time since Kagome knew her, a small smile came over Haruka's face, as the youkai answered, "Hardly. A pain in the neck, was probably his favorite."

Haruka looked up, and Kagome couldn't help but smile as well at the honest humor on Haruka's face. "That sounds just like him," Kagome noted. "Did he already '_Keh!_' back then?"

"Oh yes!"

For a second, they grinned at each other, sharing a joke at Inuyasha's expense.

"That's Inuyasha for you," Kagome laughed.

Haruka's smile became thoughtful. "_Inuyasha_. Is that really his name?"

"Yes," Kagome replied, "it's the name given to him by his parents. Did he call himself Kiba?"

Haruka nodded. "I can hardly believe that it's not his real name. It will take time getting used to."

"But why?" Kagome wondered.

"Lord Isobe doesn't keep servants with ties to important youkai," Haruka explained. "Anyone who might have somebody important looking for them, he kills to avoid unnecessary trouble."

The casual way she said that disconcerted Kagome. "Just like that?" she asked, appalled.

Haruka nodded. "If Lord Isobe had known that Kiba's brother was some youkai lord..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear to Kagome. "That's awful..." she mumbled.

Haruka didn't seem to notice her concern/disquiet, as she continued, "I can't believe that Kiba managed to keep that secret. He always said that he remembers nothing about his father. And don't think that Lord Isobe didn't want to know."

A shiver ran down Kagome's spine. She looked at Inuyasha, pausing to stroke his head, and tried to imagine him as a kid. Up until now, she'd thought that his childhood hadn't been easy. She'd pictured something similar to Jinenji; a hanyou growing up on the edge of human society, but still with a few people who cared for him.

Now she knew that reality had been crueler; Inuyasha had lived under Isobe's rule for the bigger part of his life. An egoist who only cared for himself, and must have kept Inuyasha practically like a slave. A man who carelessly killed his underlings only to avoid a potential inconvenience.

"Did Kiba never tell you about it?" Haruka asked.

Kagome gulped and shook her head. "No," she mumbled. "He doesn't -" And she remembered her vow to keep Inuyasha's memory lapse a secret, just a second before she almost spilled it. "He... he doesn't talk about his past a lot," she finished lamely.

Haruka nodded and sighed. "Yes, he was always so tight-lipped." Then, she elbowed Kagome and said lightly, "But hey, he wouldn't be alive today if he weren't!"

It was meant as a joke, but it made Kagome's eyes water. She felt so sorry for Inuyasha. Instead of a happy childhood, he'd had to live every day in danger of being found out, in fear of being murdered.

She remembered Isobe, the way he made her skin crawl. Inuyasha had lived like that for _years_. She started to cry, unable to keep the tears back any more.

"Hey... are you alright?" Haruka asked, her voice puzzled.

"Just a second," Kagome said, feeling embarrassed. She wanted to add something, but her mind had gone blank and she just continued to cry.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sango stand up and come over. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

"It's not my fault," Haruka said defensively. "We were just talking a bit."

"What about?" Sango asked.

"Only a chat about Kiba," Haruka said quickly. "Sorry! I mean, Inuyasha. And then she started to cry all of a sudden. Really!"

"Hey, calm down," Sango said. "Nobody's accusing you of anything." She knelt down and hesitantly touched her friend's shoulder. "Kagome?"

Kagome thought that she had to explain herself. She wiped the tears away with her arm and said, "I'm... sorry for Inuyasha. I didn't want to worry you."

Sango looked down to the unconscious Inuyasha. "He doesn't have it easy, does he?" she mumbled. "But he's a strong one, don't worry."

"Yes," Haruka said. "He's definitely the strongest!"

Kagome gulped, feeling guilty. That wasn't exactly the truth. The reason for Inuyasha's memory lapse – wasn't it because it had been too much for him? She would have liked to tell them, to make them understand that Inuyasha wasn't as invulnerable as he presented himself as. Deep down, hidden beneath layers of armor, his heart was human.

She sighed and forced back the desire to confide in someone. When he woke up, she wanted to have at least one thing she could present to him with pride.

Haruka stood up. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't want to agitate you. I won't trouble you further."

"No," Kagome replied, "it's not your fault. I really appreciated our conversation."

Haruka bowed curtly and left. Walking quickly, she returned to her previous post at the outskirts of the camp. Kagome looked after her and wondered if she had left a good impression.

After a minute, Masato went after her and started to talk to her quietly. Haruka shook her head and pointed into the woods.

"What's going on?" Akahito asked suspiciously, still sitting against his tree. "Plotting behind our backs, cat?"

"Oh, it's you," Masato replied. "Shouldn't you be asleep already?"

Akahito jumped up. "That's it!" he shouted and dropped into a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"

"Stop it!" Haruka said and stepped between the two. She turned around and said, "Masato, please! This isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves."

Masato shrugged. "It's not me who's eager to fight all the time."

"You started it," Haruka said. "Masato, the new-found freedom is rushing to your head."

"Free?" Masato laughed without humor. "You, maybe. I'm not here by choice."

"You think I am?" Haruka replied evenly.

Masato shook his head. After a second of silence, he turned to Akahito and offered, "Let's drop it for now. We don't want to worry the lady, do we?"

Akahito eyed them suspiciously, the disappointment for missing another chance to fight clear on his face. "Only if you tell me what you were talking about," he said, looking like he hoped they wouldn't.

Masato wanted to reply, but Haruka beat him to it, saying, "Masato suggested putting out the fire. If Lord Isobe or the villagers were to pursue us, they can see it for miles."

"Let them come," Akahito said with a grin.

"But it sounds like a good idea," Okakura cut in. "They can't track us per smell, can they? We can rest safely for the night."

Haruka sighed. "As long as we're wearing these -" she pointed at her and Masato's rosaries, "- Lord Isobe will know where to find us, anytime he wants. We could be shooting fireworks into the sky, it wouldn't matter."

Kagome looked at her in surprise. "Wait!" she interrupted. "Isobe can track us using his rosaries?"

Haruka nodded. "Masato, me, Inuyasha, and your little friend as well."

Kagome looked to the ground with a guilty feeling. _'She thinks that Inuyasha's rosary is from Isobe.'_ She would have to clear up the misunderstanding, but she didn't know how to start, not wanting to be compared to the likes of Isobe. She opened her mouth, but no words wanted to come out.

"Inuyasha's rosary isn't Isobe's," Akahito said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The miko took it over, somehow."

Shocked, Kagome closed her eyes, feeling ashamed.

"Is that true?" Haruka asked disbelievingly.

Kagome swallowed and desperately tried to think of something to say. Long explanations shot through her head, but they all seemed contrived. "No, it's not true," she finally said.

"Of course," Haruka said. "You couldn't -"

Kagome gulped and met Haruka's eyes. "The rosary... it is mine."

Haruka fell silent, staring at her. Kagome wondered if she hated her now. When you put it like that, what really separated her from Isobe? "When I first met Inuyasha, he didn't have a rosary," Kagome continued. "I don't know how he got rid of it; I didn't even know he ever had one. I used a new one to bind Inuyasha. There were... special circumstances."

Haruka still stared at her. Something in her eyes changed when she nodded. "I understand," was all she said.

Kagome wanted to shout that it wasn't like that, but couldn't get another word out.

"Hey, take it easy," Masato said to Haruka.

"Kiba struggled all of his life for freedom," she replied forcefully. "Only to be caught again?"

"I doubt Inuyashaeven sees it like that," Masato pointed out.

"That's beside the point," Haruka replied. "Even if he doesn't, she's his master still."

"I'm not!" Kagome shouted. She didn't know how to continue, so she just stared at Haruka.

The female youkai gave her a long look. It was cold as ice, but Kagome refused to break away first. "You _are_," Haruka finally said with complete conviction and turned away.

Kagome gulped and fisted her hands, holding back the tears.

* * *

Kagome was so happy that their great day had finally come. Her wedding dress was purest white. Even Inuyasha had agreed to wear a formal kimono instead of his fire rat fur.

They stood in front of the Goshinboku; Grandpa was the priest holding the ceremony. "I'm sorry that your mother can't be here today," he said. "She had to visit the dentist."

"That's a shame," said Inuyasha. "I hope it doesn't hurt too much."

"It's only a checkup," Kagome explained. "I don't think they'll have to drill."

Before Grandpa could continue, a giant helicopter landed in the middle of the shrine. Out jumped Sesshoumaru, clad like a business man in a dark suit, wearing shades. Behind him came Haruka as his secretary.

"Stop," they said in unison. "The most ancient rule requires that before a hanyou can marry, his siblings have to agree."

"Damn," said Inuyasha. "Sucks to be a hanyou."

Sesshoumaru pointed at Kagome and demanded, "Young miko, you have to prove your worth if you are to marry our dearest brother."

"I will!" Kagome proclaimed.

"There's only one way," Haruka said gravely. "Are you really sure? I heard the dentist is still single, too."

"I hate to go to the dentist," Kagome replied. "Please, let me marry Inuyasha!"

"Your honest feelings warm my ice-cold heart," said Sesshoumaru and threw a rope over the highest branch of the Goshinboku. It was a very long rope. "Alright. If you survive this, you will have proven the purity of your intentions."

Kagome nodded. She stuck her head through the noose, and they pulled her up.

She tried to hold her breath, but she quickly ran out of air. "Please, let me down," she pleaded when she could no longer take it.

"So she wasn't worthy, after all," Sesshoumaru commented sadly.

"The little bitch was never good enough for our brother," Haruka said.

"That's the way it is," Grandpa chimed in. "I never wanted a hanyou as a grandson, anyway."

_'No!' _she tried to shout at them, but she could no longer speak. Disappointment on their faces, they stared at her unblinkingly.

All the while, the rope pulled tighter and tighter around her neck. She struggled, she kicked and clawed at the rope, but it wouldn't come off.

_'I don't want to die!'_ she thought. _'Inuyasha, help me!'_

"I hate you," said Inuyasha.

Kagome awoke with a start. "No!" she whispered, still caught in the remnants of her nightmare.

She finally realized that she had been dreaming and tried to get her rapid breathing under control. _'What a crazy dream,' _she thought, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

She sat up and looked around, but the fire had burned down and she could hardly make out anything in the dark. She noticed a pair of glowing eyes staring at her, but couldn't tell who it was.

The person didn't say anything. "Just a nightmare," Kagome explained herself.

No answer came, but whoever it was kept staring at her. It was unsettling.

"Can't you sleep, either?" Kagome tried again.

"No," Haruka replied.

Kagome shrank back at the sound of the youkai's voice, the Haruka from her dream still fresh on her memory. She waited, but the pair of glowing eyes just turned away. Feeling uncomfortable, Kagome settled back.

The minutes went by, but she couldn't fall asleep.

"Inuyasha was the only one who ever escaped from Isobe," Haruka said after a while. "It has always given me hope, to think that he was free, living his life the way he wanted to."

Kagome gulped, feeling that a lot hinged on what she answered. "Inuyasha... is the most independent person I know. When there's something he wants to do, or doesn't, it's very hard to argue with him. Rosary or not."

"You argue?"

"More often than I prefer," Kagome said. She had to smile a bit when she added, "He can be very stubborn, but so can I."

"I guess I over-reacted a bit," Haruka finally said. "Are you his girlfriend?"

Kagome blushed at the direct question. "No... I'm not," she answered after a while.

"But you like him?"

Kagome gulped, feeling uncomfortable at discussing such a personal subject with someone she had known for just a few hours. She didn't want to discuss being the reincarnation of Inuyasha's first love, nor that Kikyou had been resurrected. "It's complicated. I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it. Neither do I know if Inuyasha would want me to."

"Sounds terribly serious," Haruka mumbled. "Let me take a guess: He thinks you're too young for him?"

"I'm... too young?" Kagome repeated confusedly.

"I mean, he's at least sixty or something," Haruka said. "To be honest, I do think the age difference is a bit unhealthy. It's okay to have a thing for mature men, but you could be his grand-daughter."

"M... Mature men?" Kagome stammered.

"On the other hand," Haruka went on, "in a couple of years it will look the other way round. You're right, it is complicated."

"I'm not into mature men!" Kagome said, blushing crimson. "Inuyasha's only sixteen, or maybe seventeen. Two years aren't unhealthy!"

Haruka sighed. "I don't want to burst your little bubble, but -"

Kagome felt treated like a little child. "It's the truth!" she interrupted. "He was sealed for fifty years, so he hasn't aged."

She heard Haruka stop mid-sentence. After a short silence, she asked, "Sealed?"

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble of Inuyasha living happily ever after, but he didn't," Kagome stated. "He ended up as an outcast, shunned by both human and youkai. In the end, he was sealed to a holy tree for fifty years."

She heard Haruka gulp. Wondering whether she'd been too direct, Kagome said conciliatory, "I don't think he was in any pain, it's more like he was sleeping."

"So that's why he looks so young," Haruka mumbled. "He _is_."

Kagome nodded. "It was me who freed him from his seal. That is one thing that will neverchange."

"I see..." Haruka hummed thoughtfully. "And now you think that gives you some kind of claim on his life?"

Kagome sat up and shouted, "No!" She remembered that there were people sleeping and continued in a hushed voice, "Don't put words in my mouth! I told you, there were special circumstances."

"Convenient."

Kagome gnashed her teeth in frustration. "You don't know the whole story! Inuyasha was about to make a very big mistake, and it was the only way to stop him."

"Alright," Haruka replied, "so you made him see his errors. Why don't you take it off now?"

The question left Kagome spluttering for an answer.

"Are you going to stop him from making mistakes for the rest of his life?" Haruka asked pointedly.

"No, I -"

"You've been honest with me," Haruka interrupted, "so let me thank you with some advice from someone who's bound to know: These rosaries, they have _never_ brought happiness to anyone."

Kagome froze at Haruka's statement and the certainty ringing in the youkai's voice. She wanted to answer, but found herself at a loss for words.


	41. Chapter 40: Remembrance Part 1

**Settle the Score  
**_by Chri_

**January 5****th****, 2011:** Chapter finished

**Disclaimer:**  
Inuyasha and the other characters of Rumiko Takahashi aren't mine.  
The chapter epigraph is from a song by _Bolt Thrower_.

**Special thanks to:**  
_dangersque _for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 40**

_Nightmare world  
reflected as a dream_

_**Remembrance – Part 1**_

_I wake up slowly. At last, I sit up and take a look around. I recognize the never-ending grassland, green until the horizon, and the road. I've been here before... How long was it? Back then, the weather was nice – now, thick thunder-clouds linger in the air._

_Across the road is, again, the person looking like me, just a few years younger._

"_You again!" I say with disdain._

"_It's you who has returned," he says with his annoyingly calm voice. "I told you not to come back."_

_I'm not sure if it is meant as a reply or as an accusation. Something in his voice sends shivers down my spine. "Why would I listen to you?"_

"_Because I know things you don't," he says. "Because you lack experience."_

"_I lack experience, you little brat?" I shoot back. "Just who the hell are you, anyway?"_

"_My name is _Inuyasha_, for certain. Remember it."_

_Just to spite me, the storm hits right at that moment. The wind picks up, and a thick shower pours down. In seconds, I'm drenched to the bone. "Great!" I curse, wiping my wet hair out of my face. I notice that on the other side of the road, the guy isn't wet at all – instead, the weather looks warm and sunny there._

_I get up and want to cross the road, but I can't. Even with all my willpower, I can't bring myself to set a foot on it. Angrily, I glare across and growl, "Now you've even cornered the good weather for yourself?"_

_He looks up, blinking into his sun. I'm blinking, too, to shield my eyes from wind and rain. "Yes, this side is nicer," he says dreamily. For a second, he looks like any boy, enjoying the first rays of the sun in the spring. Then he looks back to me, his face hardening into his usual contemptuous glare, and explains, "You will bear the consequences of your decisions, just like everyone. You can't switch sides on a whim."_

_He edges closer to his side of the road, until he sits directly across from me. I suddenly notice that the road looks different from last time. Like a thin coating, there's some liquid, flowing incredibly slowly on top of it. And then I realize that it's not a road; it's a river. Thick as resin; dark and red. I shiver involuntarily._

_A river of blood._

"_I guess I have some time to spare," the guy across the river says, catching my attention. "So, do you want to know who _Inuyasha _really is?"_

_Although I can't stand him, I can't help being curious. He notices my interest and invites me with his hand to sit down. I scowl at him, but follow his gesture, leaving a healthy distance to the river. After drawing a deep breath, he begins,_

"Once upon a time, there was a princess. The beauty of her smile outshone the radiance of the sun, and when she spoke, the people fell silent at the wisdom of her words. So great was her renown, that even the king of demons fell in love with her. At first, she denied him, afraid of who he was. But the king never wavered, and after a while, the princess came to love him despite his fierce appearance. Soon, she gave him a son.

"This angered the humans, for they didn't understand the love of their princess. 'Out with you!' her father cried, when she proudly showed to him his grandson. 'You are my daughter no longer!' Crying bitterly, she had to leave her home that very night.

"For a while, she lived with the king, but the demons understood their love no more than the humans had. With a heavy heart, the king of demons sent his wife and son to a remote village, so that the young prince would grow up in safety.

"It turned out that he had made his decision almost too late, as a traitor rose to challenge him. The battle lasted seven days and nights, but finally the king was killed. He took the secret of the village's location to the grave with him. When hearing of her husband's death, the princess cried for thirty days. But she had to watch after her son and put her grief behind her. And so, the young prince grew up.

"But the villagers never trusted them. When the prince turned seven, they plotted to murder them. 'The prince isn't human,' they whispered, 'and he's becoming stronger every day.' They set fire to the hut of their guests, but with the strength of desperation, the prince broke through the back wall. Mother and son escaped, leaving behind their village and their home.

"They fled through the forest and hid in an abandoned shack. But they didn't know that the shack had been cursed, and after a day, a dark wizard appeared before them. Cruelly, he looked at them and said,

* * *

"You will follow me."

Inuyasha retreated behind his mother, scared by the stranger. "What do you mean?" Ayako asked, her voice nervous.

The man coolly looked at her and repeated, "I bought you from the town elders. From now on, you will call me Lord Isobe."

Inuyasha looked up to his mother, not understanding what was going on. He could feel her tense, smell her fear.

"This must be a mistake," Ayako said, her voice even. "We're travelers, just passing through. We have no ties to this town."

All of a sudden, Isobe struck out and slapped her. Crying out, she fell to the floor, knocked down by the force of the blow. Inuyasha stared at him in shock.

"I won't repeat myself again," the man said. "You'll address me Lord Isobe."

Inuyasha turned to his mother, looking at her for guidance. She was looking from him to the man, and back again.

"Kiba!" she shouted suddenly. "Run!"

It took him a second to remember that this was the name they had agreed on. Then, her command confused him even more. He couldn't leave her alone, not with this man.

"Run!" his mother repeated. "Now!"

"No!" Inuyasha shouted and ran in front of her, blocking the stranger's path. "Leave my mom alone!"

Isobe was looking down at them coldly. "You," he said, turning his eyes upon Ayako. "I've had enough of you."

He stepped closer, drawing the sword he carried with him. Inuyasha gulped, but stood his ground. "Stop!" he shouted. "Leave us alone."

"Out of my way," Isobe said coldly and kicked at him. Inuyasha got hit right in the chest and flew to the side.

He picked himself up immediately. The man had now reached his mother, who tried to get up from the floor. He started at the man, but suddenly felt himself hoisted up in the air.

Inuyasha struggled, but couldn't break free. The person put a hand over his eyes. "You don't want to see this," a voice whispered into his ear.

He felt the person turn around and leave the room with him.

Panicking, Inuyasha struggled and somehow managed shake the hand off. He turned his head and found his mother, Isobe standing behind her, holding her by her hair. Something silvery and red was sticking from her neck.

Inuyasha felt a blow to the back of his neck, and the world went black.

* * *

It was hot, so hot. Inuyasha turned his head and blinked into the sun. It was his second day, bound to this pole.

"Are you willing to serve me?" Isobe had asked at the beginning.

He'd shouted for his mother.

"Tell me when you're ready," Isobe had said and left him standing in the summer sun.

It was in a clearing in the forest. They'd set up a pole and bound him to it. Standing in the same position all the time made his muscles hurt. He tested his strength against the ropes, but he soon had to accept that he couldn't break free. He became thirsty, but he would endure.

An image was stuck in the back of his mind, and he didn't know what to make of it. His mother, had she been hurt badly? Why didn't she come for him?

There were youkai working for the man, sometimes they would look at him. "A feisty one," they said; and, "He won't last a day."

Inuyasha glared at them, and they went on with their chores.

Soon, the need to pee became his most pressing problem. He held it back.

It became easier once the sun settled and the air cooled down. He shifted around as much as he could, and it helped a little.

He hoped that his mother would come soon. "Mum," he mumbled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here, Inuyasha," his mother answered.

"Mum!" Inuyasha shouted and embraced her. "You really came!"

"Of course!" she answered and smiled at him.

When he woke up, it was still in the middle of the night. When he realized it had just been a dream, Inuyasha cried. It was cold, his arms and legs hurt, and he really needed to take a leak.

Time passed slowly.

"You got anything to tell me, Kiba?" Isobe asked in the morning.

"What's happened to my mum?" Inuyasha demanded.

"If you're hoping for her help, give it up," Isobe said matter-of-factly. "You won't see her again."

Inuyasha was left alone, in a state of shock. _'I won't see her again?'_ he thought in horror. What did he mean? He had lived with her every day, for his whole life. "Mum!" he shouted, but nobody answered.

Now it was about noon. Inuyasha stood in a daze. His throat was dry, and still the sun was glaring down at him. _'Water,'_ he thought. Later, he cried, feeling tears streaming down his cheeks. He slurped them up with his tongue.

"Don't cry!" his mother said.

"Mum," Inuyasha said, "I had a nightmare. You were hurt, and a bad man took me away. He said I'd never see you again!"

"What a silly dream!" she laughed. "I'm right here, aren't I?"

When Inuyasha wanted to embrace her, she suddenly went away.

Disappointed, Inuyasha looked up into the sun again. Didn't she want to embrace him?

He noticed a penetrating smell on himself. He sniffed - somebody had peed on his leg when he hadn't noticed. A flare of anger ran through him, at his helplessness, at Isobe and the youkai and the whole world. The anger turned to shame when he realized that the urine was his own.

Later, somebody approached him. "If you stay stubborn like that, you'll die of thirst," the youkai said. Inuyasha thought he recognized the voice.

"Mother," Inuyasha mumbled. "Where is she?"

The youkai shook his head. For a moment, he seemed like he didn't know what to say. "You should worry about yourself," he finally answered. "I'll acknowledge your strength of will, but please give in tomorrow."

"Give in?" Inuyasha asked.

"Lord Isobe will ask if you accept his leadership," the youkai said. "It's your last chance."

_'I won't give in,'_ Inuyasha told himself. _'Mum will come to help me.'_

But what if she didn't, if he really never saw her again?

It took forever until the night finally settled in. Although the sun had vanished, it was still so hot. His tongue was just a useless lump of flesh; his entire body felt like it had dried out. It wasn't the first time that Inuyasha was hurt, but this time it was different.

This was death. He couldn't tell why, but he knew without a doubt that he couldn't take another day in the sun. _'I don't want to die!' _Inuyasha thought desperately. He tried to cry for help, but only a raspy stammering left his dry throat.

His mother visited a few times, and what she told him was very important. The most important thing in the world, but he could never remember what it was that she told him. The night felt like it lasted forever, but it was still over too quickly.

Inuyasha watched the horizon turning crimson, terror welling up in him. The sun; the sun was coming back!

He had to get away! It would burn him to ashes as soon as it rose over the hills. His body mobilized its last reserves and he tried to break free. Already he could see the first bits of the sun glaring at him, greedily trying to devour him.

Suddenly, somebody stepped into his field of vision. "Got something to tell me, Kiba?" Isobe asked.

"Please, help me!" Inuyasha mumbled desperately.

"Will you follow my command?"

"I'll do anything," Inuyasha croaked. "Just don't leave me here, please."

"Please, Lord Isobe," the man corrected.

It took Inuyasha a second to comprehend. "Please, Lord Isobe," he added quickly.

Somebody took him down. They joked that he reeked horribly, but he didn't care. They carried him inside a tent and gave him water. Inuyasha drank greedily. It tasted better than anything he'd ever had before.

After that, he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Over the course of the next weeks, life passed by in a haze. From the start, Inuyasha didn't have time to think or mourn. There was always something to do. Even if he finished his chores, as the newcomer and consequently lowest end of the food chain, Inuyasha would quickly inherit somebody else's work.

More and more, his old life felt like a distant dream.

Lord Isobe earned his living by traveling the country and showing off his troupe. The villagers paid well to see the performances. They usually were afraid at first, but Isobe was always quick to stimulate curiosity when they arrived at a new village. The chance to see youkai up close – without the threat of being killed – lured a lot of spectators to the shows. The youkai danced and walked on tightropes. They spat fire, scared the children and lifted giant boulders. The rest of the time, they had to help out the villagers with everyday work.

His name was now "Kiba, the feral wolfboy." Inuyasha had argued that he bore no wolf blood, but Takeo had only laughed that you could never be sure with a mongrel. Inuyasha hadn't understood the joke.

As long as you didn't count Isobe, Takeo was the leader of the troupe of four youkai. Well, now it were four youkai and a hanyou. Takeo was big but lean, and always had a sly twinkle in his eyes. Inuyasha soon learned that it was wise to stay on the youkai's good side, as Takeo was also in charge of food distribution. If you annoyed him, it meant going to sleep on an empty stomach. Takeo used this privilege quite liberally, as the convict's ration then became his own. Most of the days, the portions were small, Takeo was hungry, and somebody annoyed him.

Hunger had become Inuyasha's constant companion. It wasn't the kind of hunger that left you weak or in fear of starving. But he rarely could eat as much as he would have wanted, and there was always a gnawing in the pit of his stomach.

His second new companion was fear. Every time he saw Lord Isobe, it felt like something tightened around his chest, around his heart. His mind dispersed into chaos, and all he could think about was not attracting his attention. Luckily, the man didn't involve himself too much and left all the daily business to Takeo, so Inuyasha didn't see him often. Instead, Lord Isobe usually spent his time with the important people of the current town. But if the audience wasn't pleased, he would quickly notice. And that was something that Takeo did his utmost to avoid. And everyone else as well – they wanted a dinner, after all.

Lord Isobe only appeared during the shows, to play the role of commentator; he never missed a chance to appear in front of an audience. "Here comes the ferocious spawn of the forest! Kiba, the feral wolfboy!" After the announcement, Inuyasha would charge onto stage. For now, all that he had to do was hop around like a monkey, growling and hissing at the audience.

People had always acted strange in his company, but never before had they shrunk away in fear. It was a very strange experience for Inuyasha, and one that he didn't like. Sometimes, he thought about making a joke during a show or just do something unexpected, but when Lord Isobe announced him, he was way too afraid to actually try.

Instead, one day Inuyasha summoned up his courage and took the risk of annoying Takeo. He approached the youkai and said that he wanted to do something else. Takeo replied that he would have to come up with something better if he didn't like his role. "And, if you have time to think about useless things, go and help somebody! There, Kiyoshi can use a helping hand!"

Inuyasha gulped, but obliged. Kiyoshi was a strange one. He was already old, with white hair, and didn't talk much, except for sometimes mumbling to himself. At evening, he usually sat apart from the rest and stared off into space. He was stoutly built, looked strong despite his advanced age and always had a mean look on his face. Officially, Kiyoshi had no special position, but Inuyasha thought that the youkai treated him differently. He couldn't help but notice that, when the time came for Takeo's extra portion of food, it was never Kiyoshi's.

He didn't like the old youkai. Kiyoshi was the one who had been with Isobe when Inuyasha had been taken from his mother. It were moments like these that made Inuyasha remember the life he'd left behind.

* * *

"Hey, Kiba!"

Inuyasha, sitting outside against a tree, looked up and stopped with his meal, having gotten used to being called by his new name. Daimaru approached him, and Inuyasha watched him cautiously.

Daimaru was the smallest of the youkai. Since the others were all pretty tall, that meant he was about as tall as a normal Japanese man. He could have passed off as one, too, unlike the other youkai – even his ears weren't so pointy that they would have immediately drawn attention.

Inuyasha took a quick look around, but the other youkai had already finished and left. It was just him and Daimaru. "What do you want?" he asked guardedly, turning his attention back to the youkai.

"Kiba, I'm disappointed with you," Daimaru said when he reached him, and sighed deeply. "You're the newcomer, and yet you have never treated anybody to a welcome meal. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"I've only got a bit of my rice ball left," Inuyasha replied. He hesitated for a second, then split what was left it in two and offered Daimaru one half. "Here."

Smiling encouragingly, Daimaru took it and ate it with a single bite. Chewing with pleasure, he said, "Thank you!"

Inuyasha chomped down his part as well. Returning the smile, he said, "It's pretty good."

"Damn right," Daimaru agreed. Standing up, he said, "You're a good kid! I'm sure we'll get along nicely." He winked and left.

Inuyasha stared after him, still smiling. It was pretty much the first time that somebody had just talked to him, and he only now realized how much he missed it.

Daimaru was back the next day. They chatted a bit, and Inuyasha offered him part of his food again. Daimaru promised to look out for him. "You're very brave, but you're still a kid. Things will be easier with me around, promise."

During the day, Daimaru never had time to talk. "We're all busy, kid," he would say. "We can chat in the evening."

True to his word, Daimaru always took some time to sit down with Inuyasha. "What a hard day," the youkai said one evening. Inuyasha wholeheartedly agreed – he was always so tired at the end of the day. It was the only time when they had an hour for themselves, though there wasn't that much going on. Mostly, everybody was just regaining their strength for the next day.

There rarely was time for rest during the day. The villagers were allowed to assign them tasks, from feeding animals to working in the fields to fixing the roof. After an initial cautiousness, they always made liberal use of their privilege. Five minutes of leisure time was long, a quarter of an hour an eternity – fifteen minutes, without somebody telling you what to do!

Daimaru nodded at Inuyasha's complaints. "My all-time record for stealing away is an hour. It was my finest hour, ha! I tell you, any more is outright impossible."

The continued sharing of his food was beginning to take its toll on Inuyasha. Still, he was reluctant about telling off his new companion. Everyone else pretty much ignored him, unless it was about pushing their chores on him. But he couldn't go on like this. Daimaru was already having about half of his food.

Inuyasha tried to compensate with charities from villagers. But, aside from a few lucky exceptions, the villagers weren't very generous. Hardened by the times of strife, they rather fed their own children. His official role as "The Feral Wolfboy" also prevented him from appealing to their sympathy. Not that the others had more success – the youkai race was seen as enemy of mankind, and they were treated as such.

For the first time in his life, Inuyasha considered stealing. However, this was absolutely forbidden, and if you were caught, it cost you your head. He'd been reminded of that a lot during his first days with Lord Isobe's troupe, and remembering his recent brush with death, he didn't follow this impulse. Yet.

After a particularly hard day, maybe a week after getting to know Daimaru, Inuyasha was so hungry that the evening couldn't come quickly enough. He felt weak and shaky. A feeling of nausea had been growing in his stomach since noon. Now, finally, they were getting their evening meal. Waiting in line felt like an eternity, still he tried his best to give Takeo no reason to confiscate his portion. When he finally got his share, he quickly walked to a place off to the side and dug into his food, everything else forgotten.

He didn't notice Daimaru approaching.

"Hey, Kiba!" the youkai said. "Let's split evenly!"

Inuyasha didn't look up and just continued with his meal. "Sorry," he mumbled between bites, "too hungry."

It happened so quick, he had no time to react. Or maybe he had just gotten too slow. Daimaru shoved him down and snatched all the food in one fell swoop. Before Inuyasha had understood what had just happened, Daimaru had already gobbled down everything.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted disbelievingly, desperately. He was hungry. He was so hungry he could have eaten two portions, or ten. "That was mine!"

Daimaru took a step back. "Shut up, runt!" he hissed.

"Give it back!"

"Hey!" Takeo interrupted. He came over to them and, looking at them fiercely, demanded, "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Daimaru said, putting up his hands innocently. "Kiba asked me if I could spare him something to eat. When I said I was already finished, he suddenly snapped."

"That's not true!" Inuyasha shouted. "You stole my food! Give it back!"

Daimaru stared at him incredulously. "Hey, it was funny for a while, but knock it off!"

"Silence!" Takeo interrupted and looked from one to the other with squinted eyes. "If I hear another word, it's no breakfast for both of you!"

Inuyasha could feel tears welling up in his eyes. But the threat of missing breakfast, too, cut off any reply or explanation. He looked up at Takeo expectantly, still hoping that the youkai would help him to get his right.

"This is a serious accusation, Kiba," Takeo continued. "Do you have proof?"

Inuyasha thought hard, but had to shake his head. "No," he whispered, crestfallen. Then he forcefully shut his mouth, remembering that he wasn't supposed to talk.

"Daimaru, already finished with your meal?" Takeo asked, turning to the youkai. "What are you doing here?"

"You know I'm a quick eater, boss," Daimaru said conversationally. "Just stretching my legs, really."

Takeo gave him a long, hard stare, then did the same with Inuyasha. "I'll let it slip this time," he finally said. "Next time, Lord Isobe will be your judge. Understood?"

Inuyasha gulped and nodded. Daimaru, an uneasy expression on his face, nodded as well. Considering the matter settled, Takeo left them.

"Idiot!" Daimaru hissed as soon as Takeo was out of hearing range. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"You started it," Inuyasha whispered, "how can you complain?"

Daimaru shrugged and said, "You always shared your meals, why throw such a tantrum today?"

Inuyasha glared at Daimaru. "You never stole it before!" he replied, trying his best to keep his voice down despite his anger.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Daimaru mumbled. "But if you prefer to, you can eat alone from now on. A fine friend you are." The youkai turned around and left, joining Katsuro, another youkai who was sitting near the fire. He said something, gesticulating wildly.

Inuyasha turned around and left. He heard them laughing behind him, and tears welled in his eyes again. When he was alone, he sat down and cried. He noticed that he was shaking over his whole body. He tried to stop it, but it continued on its own.

"Damn," he cursed silently and hit the ground with his fist. He wiped the tears off his face and gulped. He looked at his hand - it was still shaking and just wouldn't stop.

He felt stupid, used, and ashamed. Daimaru had only wanted to stuff his stomach. He'd thought he'd made a friend, but it had only been about the food from the start.

For a minute, Inuyasha tried to find another explanation. Maybe Daimaru had been hungry, as well, or had knocked him down by accident. But his growling stomach reminded him that Daimaru had not asked, not even demanded.

He couldn't trust them. They had taken him away – of course, they wouldn't want to be friends. They had taken away his mother. They _couldn't _be friends.

After a while, Inuyasha dragged himself to the tent where they spent the night. He looked around, hoping against hope to find something edible, but of course there was nothing. He lied down in the back.

He was hungry. Hungry. He closed his eyes, trying to escape to the land of dreams, but it took a long time until he fell asleep. He woke up repeatedly, sweating and, again, shaking.

He tried to distract himself by imagining a good meal, but that only made his stomach growl more vehemently. _'I _hate _Daimaru!' _Inuyasha thought with a fury he hadn't known. He had used the word before, but now he finally understood its meaning.

Over the next days, his thoughts circled around food, food, food. He ate his meals in vicinity of others, so that nobody could steal from him – at least not unnoticed – and generally gobbled down everything as quickly as possible.

Daimaru had tried to reconcile on the day after his theft. Inuyasha, even hungrier than before, wouldn't hear any of it. After that, Daimaru kept his distance, which suited Inuyasha just fine.

* * *

Only a few minutes left. Inuyasha anxiously looked for a possibility to get away. It was summer and, although already quite late, not dark yet. But a glimpse at the settling sun confirmed that his luck was finally running out.

Damn! He'd been so hungry, he had even forgotten about something so important. He had watched out for it as long as he could remember. How could he have missed the new moon?

"Runt, what are you doing? Get back inside!" Takeo grumbled in his direction. Inuyasha stepped back from the exit, clenching his fist.

During the night, the youkai weren't allowed outside of the tent, so as to not scare the villagers. Not that they could have attempted an escape – Isobe always set up wards around the village. Though no one had ever seen evidence, there also was a rumor that Isobe could find you using the rosaries. It was generally accepted that escape was impossible, and Inuyasha had overheard a few stories of failed attempts. This, like stealing, cost you your life, just in a more gruesome manner.

But he wasn't trying to flee. _'I only want to get outside the tent!' _Inuyasha thought desperately. For as long as he could remember, he had kept his human night a secret. The only person who had known had been his mother, and keeping this secret had been a matter of highest importance for her. He had tried to continue her determination – and had thought the last few hours about it – but he had no idea what he could possibly do.

He looked around, but his actions had drawn not only the attention of Takeo, but the others as well. Inuyasha glimpsed outside the entrance and saw the sun vanishing. He did the last thing he could think of and briskly walked towards an unoccupied corner of the tent. He sat down, his heart beating wildly, and hoped that nobody would notice. The tent was pretty large, considering that there were only four youkai inside it. It just might work out.

A slight nausea told him that his transformation was about to begin. It started with his claws, his only means of defense. Next, the ears. They itched when they shifted positions, and soon left him in a world of silence, compared to the one he was used to. But worst was the loss of his sense of smell. His nose, though not shifting on the outside, actually changed the most. Feeling crippled and insecure, he hugged his knees to his chest, and looked around the room.

Everyone was staring at him.

Inuyasha gulped.

Somebody laughed. "Look what we have here!"

Inuyasha tensed, readying himself, although he knew that he was no match for them even as a hanyou.

"Did you think you could keep it secret?"

"It's been a while since I had a human child for dinner."

More laughter. "They're so delicious!"

Inuyasha twitched when he saw two youkai advancing on him. The first was Daimaru, a gleeful smile plastered on his face. Behind him came Katsuro, whom he hadn't talked more than a few times with.

He prepared to jump up and run, to hell with the rules. They wanted to eat him! His eyes darted between the youkai, who had almost reached him, and the entrance of the tent. "Stop!" he demanded, trying to put up an unimpressed front. But they just laughed and continued.

Inuyasha was about to dart, when Kiyoshi stood up briskly, catching everyone's attention. Daimaru and Katsuro stopped in their tracks, watching him cautiously. Inuyasha, still ready for anything, looked at the mean old youkai from the corner of his eye, not letting the other two out of his field of vision.

Kiyoshi trudged closer. Inuyasha held his breath, wondering what the youkai was up to. It was completely silent in the tent, and nobody else seemed to move.

Kiyoshi coughed once and then sat down again. He lazily gazed at the ground, completely ignoring everyone.

All of a sudden, life seemed to return.

"Hey, that's enough," Takeo said. "Let the kid be."

Daimaru and Katsuro started to talk again and returned to their places. They joked with each other, louder than usual.

Inuyasha kept his attention on Kiyoshi and edged away from him. There! The old youkai threw a quick glance at him out of the corner of his eye. Or had he only imagined it?

There, again! Inuyasha gulped, keeping himself prepared. The old youkai was planning something for sure. He was probably waiting for everyone to fall asleep.

Inuyasha kept his eyes on the suspicious youkai all night. It soon seemed like Kiyoshi was sleeping, but he was faking it. Inuyasha couldn't see well in the darkness, but every now and then, he could make out Kiyoshi inconspicuously turn in his direction, to check if he had finally fallen asleep.

Irregularly, one of the other youkai would turn in his sleep, startling Inuyasha. Every time, Inuyasha prepared to cry to wake up the others. Sleep was out of the question. Towards the morning, Inuyasha almost fell asleep a few times, but he kept his watch.

At last, his youkai powers returned with the dawn. The others were still asleep, missing his transformation entirely. Tired but relieved, Inuyasha stood up and stepped outside the tent, watching the sun climb over the hills. Birds were chirping, and he felt like a gigantic burden had been taken from his shoulder.

_'I'll never sleep again during the new moon,'_ Inuyasha realized, the foresight suddenly making him feel very melancholy.

* * *

**Author rantings:**  
Hello, dear readers! :) It took me a while to finish the chapter. I'm sorting out a few personal things and had to take a pause from writing. I even considered a hiatus message, but they always seem so... final.

Thanks a lot for your encouraging reviews. They really helped me a couple of times to get into the writing mood. I was glad that most of you liked how I'm trying to deal with the rosary seriously. There will be a few tough decisions ahead once the main story continues.

However, as you've probably guessed, we'll be taking a small side-trip with the next chapters. My goal is to span the years Inuyasha spent with Isobe without writing a novel. So, the chapters will be more episodic, and not as continuous as the others, which is kinda new for me. So far, I think that I'm doing well enough, considering that this chapter is covering more time (a bit less than a month) than the rest of story so far (which is only about two weeks.) Let me know how it works for you. One thing I'm unhappy with is that I didn't take much time to introduce all the new characters, but I want to keep the focus on Inuyasha.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming chapters. I've hinted at all this mysterious-Inuyasha's-past-stuff for years, and now I can finally bring it to paper. If I manage to keep a good pace without rushing things, I think you'll like it.


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